From the desk of
Katherine Emery, Executive Director
Through our Education and Conservation/Science committees, Santa Barbara Audubon Society (SBAS) is actively working on many initiatives. This update provides an overview of selected current projects, goals, and opportunities for member engagement.
Dear SBAS Friends, Members, and Supporters,
SBAS protects area birdlife and habitat and connects people with birds through education, conservation, and science. This fall, the SBAS Board and staff came together at the beautiful Leading from Within Convening Space to review our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. It was uplifting to have so many knowledgeable and passionate SBAS leaders in one room share what excites them most about SBAS and prioritize actionable goals for the upcoming year, such as onboarding a Development Chair and Membership Chair to fill two very important seats on our Board. Please contact President Janice Levasheff if you’re interested in one of these Chair positions.
Our educational outreach continued to soar. We created a new SBAS Feather Box exhibit to share at local schools, public events, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH), and made plans to expand our Meet Your Wild Neighbor program to more kindergarten through grade three classrooms in the new year. We were honored to collaborate with three local partners—SBMNH, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management—to present “Bird Conservation around the World and in Our Own Backyards: From Awe to Action” by Lynn Scarlett. At the end of the program, a particular moment captured the evening’s optimism. Lynn was surrounded by a group of UCSB students listening intently to her words and one young woman remarked, “I want to be like her.”
Our bird walks and field trips resumed in full force: popular, educational, and inclusive of novice and expert birders. Thank you to Peter Thompson, Rob Lindsay, Jeff Hanson, Peggy Kearns, Nick Lethaby and Guy Tingos for their knowledge and time leading these trips. Our Conservation/Science Committee remained steadfast in its commitment to protect local birdlife.
In our 60th anniversary El Tecolote issue, we looked at our past, present, and future. While we mourned the loss of a few longtime SBAS members, we were inspired to forge ahead in our conservation efforts. Gib Lentz wrote, “…It is heartening to see the number of people who fondly remember Joan and have benefited by her enthusiasm and knowledge. Now, it is up to you and the Audubon Society to carry on her work. Thank you, again.”
Along those lines, we continue to highlight accomplishments of our young student birders. Recently, Lucy London, our high school SBAS Student Representative and a shining light in the birding community, gave her gift of art to SBAS with the design of a beautiful new Winter Bird Count for Kids T-shirt. We invite you to help bring kids into nature to learn about birds at our 10th annual WBC for Kids event on January 20, 2024. Learn more at SantaBarbaraAudubon.org.
With gratitude to our friends, members, volunteers, and grantors, thank you for all that you do to protect birds and their habitats.
Wishing you peace.
Katherine Emery, Executive Director
Santa Barbara Audubon Society
