Story by Don Rose, photos by Ken Pitts
Vancouver Audubon celebrated its 50th Anniversary at its monthly meeting on December 2. We had a great turnout of currently active members and members of historical interest, including previous Chapter Presidents and Board members. Washington Audubon Interim Executive Director Trina Bayard kicked off the celebration with a nice summary of accomplishments and uplifting words.
We honored several members, including Susan Setterberg, who stepped down as lead of the Christmas Bird Count this year after volunteering for almost a decade. Arden Hagen and Eric Bjorkman, both past Presidents, shared their story of a Big Year Contest fundraising effort in 2012. They and their wives all broke the Washington state record for number of species reported in a year, even though they didn’t know anyone kept track of that. Our Conservation Chair, Susan Saul, shared her “Towhee” license plate received as a result of her being the Washington Audubon Helen Engle Volunteer of the Year.
Founding members Wilson and Sue Cady shared their story of stopping every day at Steigerwald Lake for a year on the way to and from the construction of their house in the Columbia Gorge to record the species of birds there. They knew the land as Robert’s Bean Farm and surveyed the property from the road to avoid trespassing on private land. Their volunteer work helped the effort to purchase the land for inclusion in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
It was an inspiring and warm-spirited gathering that highlighted the creativity and energy of Vancouver Audubon and helped demonstrate what a few dedicated people can do to make change happen.
Vancouver Audubon 