By Lori Danielson

As the holiday season and end of the year approach, I am overwhelmed by how much there is to be thankful for in our community of passionate birders, environmental advocates, and nature enthusiasts. Your gifts of time, knowledge, and money are what sustain our chapter and makes our work possible. As my first year as president comes to a close, I’m reminded of all the fantastic things we can accomplish when we band together.

Your gifts of time and knowledge of the environment allow us to conduct bird surveys on the eastside, contributing data about bird presence to national databases for climate change study and to local government decisions about land conservation and habitat protection.

Your monetary gifts enable us to grant scholarships to local high school seniors who will pursue environmental studies at the university level and to provide grants to teachers to bring more scientific content to low-income school classrooms.

The gifts of knowledge and time from our birding trip leaders bring higher levels of appreciation of birds to our trip participants, including first-time birders. And the gifts of physical labor and time at Marymoor Park enhance the park’s important bird feeding and nesting habitat.

I am so honored to lead such a committed group of individuals who support our work with their time, talent, and monetary gifts. As our community experiences the increasing pressures of growth and climate change, your gifts and service will be essential in protecting the wildlife we hold dear. Thank you so much for continuing to share your time and resources with us. Happy holidays!