END OF YEAR LETTER 2024
A Note from the President
Jeremy Lucas, President of Eastside Audubon Society
Last year when I sent out the End of Year letter, I said that my first year as President gave me a great deal of appreciation for our members, donors, and volunteers. In 2024, as our reach continues to grow and expand, I am even more humbled and grateful to all our supporters. It has been an honor to be the President of an organization full of such amazing and dedicated folks passionate about birds and environmental issues.
My theme in last year’s letter was what birds are telling us and what we need to do to respond. In 2024, we all worked together! We are still, after 18 years, creating native habitat at Marymoor Park by planting trees and shrubs and removing invasive species. In January 2025, we will be planting trees and shrubs in a residential area of Redmond, creating more valuable bird habitat. To further partner with our supporters, we have hosted not one but TWO native trees and shrubs giveaways — helping more folks create habitat at home! We also kicked off our small but mighty ‘Tiny Forests’ project.
Restoration work isn’t the only thing. We have started to find our stride by increasing the number of in-person Program Nights at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, as well as participating in more “tabling” events that allow us to talk to more people about the importance of a healthy environment. Speaking of the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, we have also partnered with them to lead bird walks for their year-long Lost Birds Project exhibit.
Of course, at the end of the day, we are here to enjoy birds! Our volunteers work hard in planning, orchestrating and leading bird walks to connect birders of all skill levels to nature. We have also continued to conduct our more scientific bird counts with programs like Climate Watch and the Christmas Bird Count.
None of this is possible without all our support over the years. For 44 years, Eastside Audubon has shared the passion of birds with our friends, family, neighbors and community. As a mostly volunteer organization, we depend on your support. Since joining Eastside Audubon in 2018, I have been humbled by the work our great volunteers have been able to accomplish! I have made life-long friends that go beyond birding, planned many projects and went from Volunteer Leader to Conservation Chair to Vice President to President.
In reflecting on my last two years as the President I am proud of, and at times amazed, at all the things we were able to accomplish together. The position of being the President of Eastside Audubon has helped me grow tremendously. I never thought, in my life, that I would manage budgets, bank accounts, look at lease agreements and insurance policies, develop Board Meeting agendas and lead meetings. What a great experience it has been.
It is bittersweet that I announce that I will be stepping down as President effective January 1, 2025. I am pleased to announce, with your vote, of course, that John Spilker will be our new President. I look forward to the future of this organization under his leadership as we grow to new heights in a potentially challenging few years that lie ahead.
As for me, don’t worry…you aren’t getting rid of me that easily! 😊 I will stay on as a voting Board Member (again, with your vote of course) and take on special projects like leading Birdathon planning, co-leading Climate Watch, and co-leading restoration projects. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any of us at Eastside Audubon.
One last thing I will mention. We are working our way through a very large email migration project. I will spare you all the details but in the long term, this should make it much easier for all of us to communicate effectively but will create a few short-term bumps. As you reach out to any of the Board Members or Volunteer Leaders at Eastside Audubon, please be patient as we get our email server migrated completely.
A Note from the Vice President
No one is more disappointed to see Jeremy step down than I am. Jeremy brings tremendous energy to the organization and has an amazing ability to connect with people and make them feel welcome. We all owe Jeremy a great deal of gratitude for his leadership, the outstanding work he has done, and the accomplishments he mentioned in his note. I am delighted that he will remain on the board and continue working on key projects such as Birdathon.
I’ve been a member of EAS for about five years. I’ve been active in the photography group and joined the board about three years ago.
It’s hard to overstate the impact COVID-19 had on our organization. Many of our programs came to a standstill during the lockdown, and restarting them is no small task, especially as many key people have moved on.
Nonetheless, I am confident that we have a strong and energetic board, as well as a dedicated membership. In the coming year, we will focus on revitalizing birding classes and bird walks while placing greater emphasis on habitat restoration.
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any concerns or questions.
Thank you,
John Spilker
