Current Projects and Goals is regularly published about once a quarter. Its purpose is to communicate to our membership about important issues that the board of directors and committee members are involved with.
Executive Director Letter 04-2026
From the desk of
Katherine Emery, Executive Director
Through our Education and Conservation/Science committees, Santa Barbara Audubon Society (SBAS) is actively working on several initiatives. This update provides an overview of selected current projects, goals, and opportunities for member engagement.
April 21, 2026
Dear Birders,
This spring, I birded on Kinevan Road. We saw an American Robin. I learned why people trek to low altitude mountain areas during bird migration. I appreciated expert birders’ wealth of knowledge, humor, and company.
American Robins can be a sign of spring to come, joy, resilience, good fortune, and positive personal growth. Whether or not that’s all true, I don’t know. I do know two things: with their orange breast, plush belly, and cheery song, robins on a wire or digging for worms in dirt are delightful to watch; second, I always learn something new in the field with Audubon birders.
I learned that during migration, some birds select low peaks to fly over to save energy. For raptors, such as eagles and hawks, soaring with low-altitude ridge uplift also conserves energy. For birders, in theory, locations such as Kinevan Road are more accessible than higher mountain peaks to see unique migrating birds. The trees were full of leaves. We heard many but saw few birds. Regardless, connecting with people curious about nature was rewarding.
Today, Santa Barbara Audubon Society is working hard preparing for spring outreach at Nojoqui Falls Park (celebrating exciting SBAS Purple Martin education signs), Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Community Environmental Council Earth Day, SBAS – Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Bird Month, MOXI, and Cachuma Lake, among other places. We encourage young science students by selecting recipients for the Joy Parkinson Award at the Santa Barbara County Science Fair and supporting bird-related research by UC Santa Barbara undergraduates at North Campus Open Space. We also prepare for summer education programs.
Thank you, community partners, SBAS Board, committees, donors, members, and outstanding staff, for your commitment and support to do this vital work. Thank you also to fellow leaders and hosts, Nonprofit Resource Network, and Leading from Within, for sparking discussion about organization growth and Leading High-performing Nonprofit Teams at the Executive Director Roundtable. I am honored and grateful for the many colleagues I have met through SBAS.
Collaborating with other organizations and growing awareness about nature and birdlife fill me with optimism and hope for the future. I invite you to join me on an Audubon bird walk and take a moment to observe the robins around us. We also have fun new early/mid-career social birding opportunities and open Board leadership positions. Contact me to learn more.
Happy birding. Wishing you a wonderful summer!
Katherine Emery, PhD
Executive Director
Santa Barbara Audubon Society
Projects and Goals Winter 2025
From the desk of
Katherine Emery, Executive Director
Through our Education and Conservation/Science committees, Santa Barbara Audubon Society (SBAS) is actively working on several initiatives. This update provides an overview of selected current projects, goals, and opportunities for member engagement.
Dear SBAS Friends and Members,
I write this update with gratitude. Thanks to you, members, donors, our hardworking Board, volunteers, and staff, SB Audubon Society continues to work wholeheartedly to protect area birdlife and habitat and connect people with birds through education, conservation, and science.
We thank Darlene Chirman and Julie and Marc Kummel for generously sparking a $10,000 match for SBAS’s Annual Campaign.
“I am so impressed with the work of the SB Audubon Conservation/Science Committee, protecting birds and habitats in the Santa Barbara area. I love the Eyes in the Sky Program (EITS) that gives school kids and Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History visitors up close and personal connections with birds of prey. I am proud to support this organization and all the volunteers that make the magic happen!” – Darlene Chirman, President Emerita
“SBAS has done so much over the years to preserve and support the health of the unique and complex natural world around us. SBAS has long provided topnotch educational opportunities for our schools and community, and I am grateful to give my support!” – Julie Kummel, Board Emerita
SBAS is lively with evening programs, bird walks, and conservation/science work. We welcome Maeve O’Hara, Aviary Raptor Caretaker and Outreach Assistant, and Tango, a three-year-old female Red-tailed Hawk to SBAS’s
EITS program. We prepare for our winter Meet Your Wild Neighbor classrooms. Please note that we seek a Director for EITS. If you know of an experienced raptor handler with a heart for conservation outreach, please direct them our way.
With all the buzzing, I also appreciate access to our beautiful Santa Barbara open spaces. A bird walk by Campus Lagoon, a magical moment of quiet with likable people, seeing a striking Green Heron that actually looks green. What could be better?
Wishing you a healthy, peaceful holiday season
Katherine Emery, PhD
Executive Director
Santa Barbara Audubon Society
Projects and Goals Fall 2025
From the desk of
Katherine Emery, Executive Director
Through our Education and Conservation/Science committees, Santa Barbara Audubon Society (SBAS) is actively working on several initiatives. This update provides an overview of selected current projects, goals, and opportunities for member engagement.
Dear SBAS Friends and Members,
This summer, I was honored to mark my six-year anniversary as Executive Director of SBAS. Summer provided time for introspection and planning of upcoming programs, reminding me of the powers of our community. Working as a community to protect area birdlife and habitat and connect people with birds through education, conservation, and science is at the heart of everything SBAS does.
In July, the SBAS Board, staff, and Eyes in the Sky (EITS) volunteers celebrated Hannah Atkinson for her work as EITS Director. I worked with Hannah through sig nificant growth of our outreach programs. I am grateful for her dedication and excited for her next adventure at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
SBAS welcomes Mary Zolkoski as our new EITS Direc tor. With her veterinary background as a 26-year surgical nurse technician, hands-on training as Aviary Assistant, and volunteer experience at EITS and Ojai Raptor Center, Mary is a natural match to lead EITS.
Mary’s interest in wildlife began at age three or so. Her father, a renowned falconer, was avid about ornithology and worked with raptor recovery, including rehabilitation in their garage. She keeps his bells on her gloves at EITS. Asked about her new role as EITS Director, Mary said, “The focus on our being an education-first program is at the heart and center of my interest: sharing our birds, their importance to conservation in a world that is only seeming to get smaller is of great value to me.” Mary commends EITS volunteers’ commitments and is honored to continue the program’s legacy. Mary’s passions include bird watching and bird walks, especially the Friday Audubon Bird Walks.
Moving into fall, I’m excited to reconnect with our broader community, embracing renewal and a fresh start for the upcoming year. SBAS offers many ways to connect with birds and birdy friends. We invite you to join us for Bird Walks, Field Trips, and Evening Programs; at Trivia Night, zoo, retirement community, and library events; and as a volunteer with our Conservation/Science Committee or Eyes in the Sky education program. To connect, please see our website for program details or contact me or Janice Levasheff.
Thank you for your support. If you haven’t yet, please take a moment to Renew Your Membership today.
Katherine Emery, PhD
Executive Director
Santa Barbara Audubon Society
Projects and Goals Summer 2025
From the desk of
Katherine Emery, Executive Director
Through our Education and Conservation/Science committees, Santa Barbara Audubon Society (SBAS) is actively working on several initiatives. This update provides an overview of selected current projects, goals, and opportunities for member engagement.
Dear Prospective and Lifelong SBAS Members,
On a recent bird walk at Lake Los Carneros in Goleta, I asked SBAS members what connects them to our chapter and mission. One avid birder said, “Getting outside in nature is a nice distraction from politics, and it’s a great way to learn about birds.” “SBAS is the premier environmental organization in the region and it’s an honor to be part of it”, said another. I heard and agreed that “the field trips and bird walks are truly exceptional.” Another champion said, “I am very concerned about the decline in birds and I like feeling I’m doing something about it (by being part of SBAS).” Which leads us to two questions: why is birding in Santa Barbara County unique and how to get more involved?
Extraordinary natural resources. Santa Barbara County’s rich ecological diversity and geography welcome birds and birders, alike. Our beaches, wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes, chaparral, grasslands, oak woodlands, mountain and riparian forests provide habitat for an abundant variety and number of bird species. Additionally, Goleta is in the Pacific Flyway, one of four major North American migration routes for birds. In spring and fall, birding is especially good along this north-south migratory bird route. Indeed, I am grateful to live here.
Birding is fun. Summer can provide time to recharge, try new hobbies, and plan for the upcoming year; along those lines, we welcome prospective members and novice birders to join SBAS now in preparation for upcoming events this fall. If you’re already a dedicated chapter member, thank you! I invite you to reach out to me, share your ideas, and/or volunteer in key positions. Current leadership and committee openings include conservation/science, event planning, board development, and membership.
Working together as a community, SBAS protects area birdlife and habitat and connects people with birds through education, conservation, and science.
Thank you, amazing members, for your time, talents and support. Best wishes and happy summer.
Katherine Emery, PhD
Executive Director
Santa Barbara Audubon Society
