From Our President: The Gift of Volunteers…

Each year at the Lane Audubon volunteer recognition party, as many as 80 attendees crowd the Eugene Garden Club to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year. These volunteers deserve much of the credit for Lane Audubon’s long-standing reputation as the area’s most effective grassroots advocate for birds and the protection of their habitats. Every volunteer plays a vital role in making our organization strong.

Can you volunteer time to work toward Lane Audubon’s goals? Volunteers bring the gifts of time, energy, expertise, and commitment to our organization. We’re always eager to welcome new volunteers into the fold. There are opportunities available for anyone with a little time and the inclination to help. We’ll provide the guidance, training, supplies, and anything else you need to get started.

As the new year begins, there are three specific areas that need volunteer assistance:

Audubon in the Schools Program Coordinator: The Audubon in the Schools (AITS) curriculum, developed by Kris Kirkeby, our former Education Chair, comprises five fun-filled lessons that combine bird biology and basic art techniques. It is designed to provide elementary students with a solid introduction to core aspects of bird biology, including bird feather anatomy and function, bird identification techniques, bird field marks, and habitat. The lessons are excellent examples of participatory education. The coordinator keeps all facets of the program going, including classroom scheduling and volunteer training, and also teaches lessons to students along with the other volunteers. We hope to find a new coordinator who can ensure that this wonderful educational program gets into many classrooms so students can participate!

Program Chair: The Program Chair recruits speakers for the chapter Program Meetings that are scheduled eight times a year. This person seeks new programs that will enhance our members’ awareness of birding, habitats, natural history, conservation, and other issues, and he or she must be able to engage speakers and organize publicity and other logistics well in advance of each meeting.

Lane County Community Outreach: Help introduce Lane Audubon to community members at local events and present talks on birding and the natural world to small groups upon request. Help develop our “speaker bureau” materials and resources. This is a great opportunity to use your creativity and get involved in community outreach for Lane County Audubon!

If you are interested in joining other Lane Audubon volunteers or have special skills you’d like to put to work in support of our goals, we’d like to hear from you! Call Maeve Sowles at 541-343-8664 or email president (at) laneaudubon.org.