From the desk of Katherine Emery, Executive Director
Through our Education Committee and our Conservation/Science Committee, SBAS is actively working on many projects. This update provides an overview of selected current projects, goals, and opportunities for member engagement (project list is not all-inclusive).
Through education, conservation, and science work, and sharing the joy and beauty of birds, SBAS sparks a passion for nature and inspires the community to protect birds and our natural environment. Eyes in the Sky (EITS), the key wildlife education program of SBAS since 2000 and the only federally licensed raptor education program in the county, connects members of the public with birds and nature through presentations at schools, afterschool programs, and the Audubon Aviary at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) (every day except Tuesdays). SBAS also gives EITS educational live bird presentations at preschools, retirement communities, and other locations. SBAS’s signature Meet Your Wild Neighbor school program (MYWN), which provides interactive curriculum for children in lower elementary classrooms to learn about birds and the environment, will be taught in 14 Santa Barbara and Goleta classrooms throughout the 2022/2023 academic year. This year, SBAS will continue to incorporate more bird sounds, music, and a “bird sit”, and investigate adding Spanish vocabulary. Please contact Hannah Atkinson for information about pricing and scheduling and to be added to the MYWN waitlist (https://santabarbaraaudubon.org/eyes-in-the-sky/eits-programs/).
SBAS continues to provide engaging monthly Evening Programs and bolster innovative partnerships with UCSB Arts & Lectures and the SBMNH to host local and national renowned speakers (https://santabarbaraaudubon.org/programs/). SBAS’s educational and fun bird walks and field trips remain in high demand. >35 bird walks/field trips are calendared for 2022/2023. SBAS members, nature enthusiasts, and new birders are welcome to join any and all SBAS activities (https://santabarbaraaudubon.org/activities/).
SBAS prepares for the annual Winter Bird Count for Kids (WBC4K) (January 21st, 9 AM – 12 PM). SBAS is deeply grateful for the eight years of dedicated volunteer service and leadership by event Co-chairs, Judy Blue and Joan Cotich. There is an immediate need for new WBC4K Co-chairs. If you are interested and/or know someone who is organized, passionate about birds, children, and educational outreach, and willing to focus on leading this important event annually starting in 2024, please contact Janice Levasheff right away. Shadowing the 2023 WBC4K would be an excellent start.
