Earth Day's 50th Anniversary
In celebration, we are sharing a walk down SBAS Memory Lane.Ā Hatched as a Bird Study Group at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, SBAS has advocated for the study and protection of birds and their habitat since 1963. In our February 1969 El Tecolote (ET), SBAS leadership urged our members to act in the aftermath of the 1969 oil spill.Conservation issues and local activism were featured in subsequent issues, along with SBAS events, rare bird sightings and CBC results, naturally!Ā Our March 1970 ET encouraged support of the new Community Environmental Council:
… while a May 1970 ET article by Fifi Webster (SBAS President at the time) describes SBAS’s participation in the first Earth Day:
SBAS is thankful to be part of this community where the roots of environmental stewardship run strong and deep and that our history is intertwined.Ā Ā If you wish to learn more about SBAS’s own roots, our ET newsletters are archived here.
Our Earth Day Owl Logo composite was designed by Trent Watanabe
Ever Considered Joining Our Board?
In Spring, we create the slate of officers that will constitute the coming yearās Audubon Board. With up to 20 members, the Board meets monthly to oversee Santa Barbara Audubon–all those activities from bird walks to the Audubon Aviary to our website–plus much ābehind the scenesā work like budgeting and fundraising. Thereās a lot to do and we invite you to participate!
If you feel qualified to help with development or education, on either the Board or a committee, please contact Dolores Pollock at email hidden; JavaScript is required. Other needs are described below:
Conservation Committee Needs Your Expertise
SBASās Conservation Committee is engaged in a number of technical issues and we could sure use your help. If either of these volunteer opportunities are of interest to you and you have expertise to assist, please contact Lori Gaskin, Conservation Committee Co-Chair, at email hidden; JavaScript is required:Ā
- Research support focused on the impact to birds of the use of rodenticides, insecticides, herbicides, and vector-control (e.g., mosquito) chemicals and bird-friendly alternatives for property owners seeking to control weeds, insects, rodents, and the like.Ā
- Provide seasonal nesting bird surveys to property owners to guide their decision-making regarding the timing/scheduling of fuels and vegetation removal/reduction.Ā
Thank you so much for considering these opportunities to help us protect birds and their habitat.
May 9 is the Global Big Day!
Birding’s biggest day is back, and you don’t even have to leave the safety of your home or yard! Just record what you see in eBird!
Last year, 35,209 eBirders from 174 countries collected an astounding 92,284 checklists in a single day.
Help eBird make Global Big Day 2020 set a new checklist record of over 100,000 checklists of birds in one day!
For more information, please see the Global Big Day website here.
We wish to express our deep appreciation to all in our community who are working the front-lines of the COVID-19 battle. An example of one of these is local birding expert & member Cher Hollingworth, shown taking a well-deserved birding break with Simon. Cher is a reminder that there are many who keep us safe, care for us, and are there for us when we need essentials.
To all of you out there,
THANK YOU!
Dolores Pollock
President