Husband William Arthur Becraft [747]
Born: 13 Oct 1941 - Spencerville, Montgomery, Maryland, United States
Christened:
Died: 7 Jan 2015 - Woodbine, Carroll, Maryland, United States
Buried:
FamilySearch ID: GJ9T-PJF
Find A Grave ID: 151109050
Father: Arthur Elray Becraft [572] (1914-1991)
Mother: Ruth Irene Smith [742] (1918-2007)
Marriage: 31 May 1979
Events
• Event: Frederick News-Post, 19 Jan 2003.
National Audubon sanctuaries provide a haven for birds, wildlife
Susan Guynn News-Post Staff Jan 19, 2003
Birds of a feather flock together. So do bird watchers.
Bird watching is the fastest growing outdoor activity in the United States. According to a recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey of outdoor recreation, about 54 million people participate in birding around their homes. Another survey, compiled by the U.S. Agriculture Department's Forest Service, indicated that 71 million people watched birds in 2000, up from 21 million in 1982.
On the down side, the National Audubon Society reports the amount of birds available for birders to see has significantly decreased. Loss of habitat is a primary reason for declining numbers.
"With the increased interest in birding, it's important to educate new birders about the next level of involvement," says John Flicker, president and CEO of the National Audubon Society. "We encourage birders to participate in programs that protect bird habitats and to help monitor species numbers."
The National Audubon Society owns two wildlife sanctuaries in Frederick County. The Audrey Carroll Sanctuary, acquired about 13 years ago, is located west of Mount Airy on Old Annapolis Road. The Fred Archibald Sanctuary, located near New Market, was acquired about two years ago. Both are managed by the Audubon Society of Central Maryland, which includes the area from Ellicott City to Frederick.
Audubon member and volunteer Bill Becraft is caretaker of the sanctuaries and oversees projects performed by a cadre of volunteers.
The Audrey Carroll sanctuary, once a working farm, is about 130 acres of diverse habitat, including upland meadows, wetlands, woodlands, two streams and a pond. A quaint vacation home was built on the property by the Carrolls in the 1960s and now serves as an activity center for the Central Maryland chapter. The chapter holds its annual native plant sale there each spring. The old farmhouse has been abandoned and boarded up. Stone foundations are all that remain of the outbuildings and barn.
"Our first project there was in February of '92, putting up a gate. It was a very frigid day," recalled Mr. Becraft, who lives in Mount Airy.
When Audubon acquired the property, some of the land was still actively farmed and some acreage was wooded. "(Audrey) had planted a lot of white pines and other conifers," said Mr. Becraft.
"Our biggest objective has been to try to put some diversity back into the sanctuary," he said. "Our biggest project has been planting native grasses. It's probably the number one most single element missing (from the grounds)."
Native warm-season grasses are also known as clump or ornamental grasses. They grow slower than cool-season grasses, from which farmers can get two or three cuttings. Because they require less cuttings, warm-season grasses are beneficial to ground-nesting birds such as quail and pheasants.
"Big and little blue stem, Indian and switch are the four main (warm-season) grasses," said Mr. Becraft. "We've planted large plots of native grasses. It's one element we can control."
The society received grant money from the Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) to plant the grass. Through WHIP, NRCS works with private landowners and operators, conservation districts, and federal, state and tribal agencies to develop wildlife habitat on their property.
"In Maryland our priorities are to do two things: re-establish habitat for upland game and restore riparian buffer areas," said Mark Seibert, district conservationist at the Catoctin and Frederick Soil Conservation District office in Frederick. Habitat improvement includes the planting of warm-season grasses for ground-nesting birds.
The loss of undisturbed grasses and other non-woody plants has resulted in declining populations of grassland nesting birds such as quail, meadowlarks, field sparrows, goldfinches and pheasants, as well as other small animals such as rabbits, according to the NRCS. Since 1975, the Maryland Breeding Bird Survey has shown a 72 percent decrease in bobwhite quail populations. Ring-necked pheasants have declined more than 95 percent in the same time period.
To be considered for WHIP funding, landowners must develop and implement a wildlife habitat development plan. The NRCS, the Department of Natural Resources and nonprofit or private organizations can provide their expertise in the devising and implementation of the plan. The NRCS agrees to provide technical assistance and monitors the project and may pay up to 75 percent of the cost of installing the wildlife habitat practices. The participant agrees to install and maintain the land according to the plan. WHIP is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In addition to the Audubon sanctuaries, NRCS has provided partial funding for about 35 other projects in Frederick County, according to Mr. Seibert, for landowners, homeowner associations, schools and outdoor education programs.
"The sanctuaries are managed for wildlife diversity. We don't cut the grasses, but there is a yearly maintenance schedule," said Mr. Becraft. Strips of the grasses are cut in alternate years to eliminate woody growth.
"There are two other areas of concern here," said Mr. Becraft. "One is to establish some old-growth forest. Now that takes more than my lifetime. It's a long-term goal. It will take 100 to 200 years.
"The other is to create transitional zones from forest to field," he said. "It's a zone of small trees and shrubs." Society volunteers have already planted a variety of shrubs that will benefit birds and other wildlife.
The Fred Archibald Sanctuary consists of about 140 acres of old fields, forest stands and several streams.
"The forests there are magnificent," said Mr. Becraft, who retired from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab after 30 years as an electrical and mechanical engineer. "There are huge American beech and oak trees. It's much more mature than anything we have at Audrey Carroll." The mature forest is home to interior dwelling birds such as scarlet tanagers and some warblers.
Last year, the society received a contract from the NRCS to develop the Archibald sanctuary's habitat.
"We plan to plant some warm-season grasses in the spring," said Mr. Becraft. "And we already have an area set aside for transitional growth. There's a six- to seven-acre field we're going to reforest."
Community groups, such as Scouts and 4-H clubs, have also been active in establishing habitat at the sanctuaries. An open pavilion with benches for seating was built for an Eagle Scout project last year by a Mount Airy troop. A bluebird trail, another Scout project, is scheduled for this spring, along with a bluebird garden.
"One other project is providing for purple martin colonies. We have one at Audrey Carroll and we'll put in a pole at Archibald in the spring," he said.
Mr. Becraft says he's always been interested in gardening and the outdoors. "When I got near retirement I got involved in the sanctuary," he said.
"There's a lot to learn and that's the neat part of it."
• His obituary was published in The Frederick News-Post on 7 Jan 2015. William Becraft
1941 - 2015 | Obituary | Condolences
William Becraft Obituary
Mr. William A. Becraft 73, of Mount Airy, passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 at his residence. He was the husband of Martha E. Sheperd Becraft, his wife of 35 years. Born on October 13, 1941, in Spencerville, MD, he was the son of the late Arthur Elray and Ruth Irene Smith Becraft. William worked as a Engineer for John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Laurel. He was a member of the Audubon Society of Central Maryland, serving as Vice President and sanctuaries manager. Bill also player upright bass in the bluegrass band "The Twigg Brothers". Surviving in addition to his wife are a brother, John Becraft of Florida as well as a number of nieces and nephews. William was preceded in death by two sisters: Shirley Kimball and Doris Wolfrey. The family will receive friends from 12-1 PM on Wednesday, January 14, at Stauffer Funeral Homes, 8 E. Ridgeville Blvd., Mt. Airy where a memorial service will begin at 1:00 PM with Rev. Dr. Elsabeth Hilke officiating. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Audubon Society of Central Maryland, P.O. Box 660
Mt. Airy, MD 21771 or Grace Trinity United Church of Christ, 9501 Old Baltimore Road Frederick, Maryland 21704. Arrangements are by Stauffer Funeral Home, Mt. Airy and Stauffer Crematory, Frederick. Online condolences may be expressed at staufferfuneralhome.com
Published Online in The Frederick News-Post from Jan. 7 to Jan. 11, 2015 Published in Print in The Frederick News-Post on Jan. 8, 2015
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Wife Martha Ellen Henry [896]
Born: 19 Feb 1944 - Cambridge, , MD
Christened:
Died: 28 Jun 2015 - Carroll Hospital Center, Westminster, Carroll Co, MD
Buried:
Find A Grave ID: 148597888
Events
• Her obituary was published. Mrs. Martha E. Becraft, 71, of Mt. Airy passed away on Sunday, June 28, 2015, at the Carroll Hospital Center, Westminster. She was the wife of the late William A. Becraft who passed on January 7, 2015, they were married 35 years. Born on February 19, 1944 in Cambridge, MD she was the daughter of the late James Sheperd and Elizabeth Schnoor Henry. Martha had a life long career as an LPN. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Linus Project where she enjoyed sewing, especially quilting for children in need. Martha was a giving soul to her community, her friends and family. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/fredericknewspost/obituary.aspx?n=martha-becraft&pid=175199851&fhid=18393#sthash.wfaoUW9K.dpuf.
Children
Death Notes: Husband - William Arthur Becraft
at home.