It’s February, southern Illinois. I am standing in a field. It’s edging toward sunset. Pat Lueders, our field trip leader, has taken me with her to find short-eared owls. Suddenly they rise. Five, six, seven, eight. They circle just above our heads, something I’ll not forget.
St. Louis Audubon Society’s (SLAS) birding field trip program relies on a terrific team of volunteer leaders. I’m personally grateful to Bill Rowe and Pat Lueders as I learned to become a birder. All our field trip leaders are expert birders and teachers. Last fall Mike Thelan pointed out a rare Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud formation on a bird walk at Shaw Nature Reserve. You never know what you’ll see and learn on the trail.
Birding and conservation go hand in hand. With Mitch Leachman’s leadership and the contributions of trained volunteer habitat advisors, Bring Conservation Home is integral to SLAS. Over 1,200 home-owners have participated in this signature program. Both BCH and our birding field trips reflect our mission to create a community connection to nature through education and conservation.
This mission is inspiring. And I am inspired by Past-President Katy Fecther’s leadership. During Katy’s tenure we’ve grown and now we must continue our momentum. Our Board and volunteers are hard-working and I’m counting on lots of help.
As I look ahead to the path for SLAS here are a few priorities. We need to revitalize our education program, particularly at the school level. A new plan is emerging and we will share details and encourage volunteers in the coming months. We need to adapt to new ways of delivering our conservation and education programs virtually and we are learning how technology can make us more effective. We need to diversify, to expand our reach in order to fulfil our core mission. And importantly we need to firm up our financial footing to support our mission and staff.
All of this while the world is shifting under our feet. But I am optimistic. We have a dedicated Board. We have great volunteers. In Amy Weeks and Mitch Leachman we have outstanding staff. We will be forming new committees and seeking to expand the Board.
It’s May. Get out for a walk (social-distancing please). The garden beckons. Participate in our Birdathon. Stay engaged and thanks so much for your support of SLAS.
Dennis and granddaughter Mira- birder in training
