Grand Lake Island Named for Audubon Society

The Grand Lake Audubon Society has announced that the Grand River Dam Authority has renamed a major island in Grand Lake the Audubon Island of Cowskin. The renamed island is on the Elk River arm of the lake, within several miles of the mouth of the Elk River. The low- lying island is approximately 1 mile long and ¼ mile wide. The island was previously known as Cowskin Island.
GRDA Superintendent of Ecological Operations, Dr. Darrell Townsend II stated, “The effort the Grand Lake Audubon Society has performed around Grand Lake and this island in particular, provides an excellent example of the public sector working in unison with our Office of Ecosystems Management to reach a mutual goal of improving habitat quality for a variety of fish and wildlife.” The Audubon Society mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems for all wildlife, focusing on birds, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity.
Closer to home, the Grand Lake Chapter has over 100 members in Northeastern Oklahoma. Vicki Hatfield, chapter president said, “We are honored by this GRDA action. Our members have been particularly busy on this island establishing a floating Goose nest box as well as building and installing Wood Duck nest boxes on trees ten to fifteen feet above the ground.”
GRDA CEO Kevin Easley acknowledged, “ The GRDA Lake Management Team is happy to be able to change the name of this island to Audubon Island of Cowskin. I hope that this will express our gratitude to this chapter for all of the effort its members have put into providing habitat for water fowl in this area and their other activities around the lake.” Other activities of the chapter include Bat programs at Bernice State Park for school children to further their nature- based education. The chapter is also heavily involved in the annual Pelican Day Festival and Earth Day celebration at Lendonwood Gardens in Grove.