A Note from Your Conservation Chair
By Jeremy Lucas
For the past three months I have been proud to serve as Eastside Audubon’s Conservation Chair. Despite the pandemic, we have been very busy, and I want to catch you up on several projects we are developing. As you know, Eastside Audubon made the difficult decision to cancel all our group activities including work parties, meetings, program nights, and field trips in response to state and county recommendations for dealing with Covid-19. However, our work is not on hold. Here are some exciting activities we are leading.
MARYMOOR RESTORATION
Though we can’t get “boots on the ground” and continue our habitat improvement work, we have been working on important administrative tasks that will help streamline our work efforts. We have completed a survey of our current equipment and have crafted a budget of new equipment needed. We have also purchased some essential items that are sitting in our storage facility awaiting our return to work.
WILLOWMOOR BIRD SURVEY
A delay in our survey start date has given us some breathing room to refine some of the administrative components. The Willowmoor Subcommittee members are in constant communication and looking forward to getting birders out there to collect data that will provide valuable insights into the abundance of birds in Marymoor Park while also getting volunteers outside to have some fun.
OTHER WORK
In addition to the big projects listed above, we are continuing to monitor conservation issues in our service area and beyond. The Conservation Committee has voted in favor of signing on to a letter supporting a ban of motorized suction dredging in rivers and streams that are critical habitat for Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed salmon and trout. We are also in the process of memorializing our Environmentalist of The Year rules and voting methods in official chapter documents.
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The Conservation Committee is growing in the numbers, but there is still so much work to be done. We need more dedicated volunteers to join our ranks so we can expand our footprint in the conservation community. Simply put, we need YOU! I encourage all members to learn more about our committee, join our distribution list, and attend our meetings once we resume. Send us an email at office@eastsideaudubon.org and include the subject line “Join Conservation Distribution List” and we will make sure your receive the latest news on committee activities and information regarding meetings.
I would like to leave you with a picture that was taken by fellow Conservation Leader and friend Andy McCormick. It is a Belted Kingfisher, taken at the Willowmoor Floodplain. This is a reminder to me that the birds will be out there for us to enjoy as a community as soon as it is safe for us to return.
