With lots of time at home right now, I was reminiscing back to May of last year and the time I spent with so many of you. Just twelve months ago, I was on my first ever trip to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge with my two best birding buddies, excited to do my first Big Day: a quest to see as many birds as possible in one day to support Eastside Audubon’s biggest fundraiser of the year—Birdathon.
The Conservation Committee had a busy Winter Quarter. We completed the Climate Watch Survey in February, advocated for protecting the Purple Martin boxes at Lake Sammamish, sent letters to our Washington state legislators, and planned and prepared to start our brand-new bird survey at the Marymoor Transition Zone.
Annually the Youth Education Committee awards two grants of $450.00 to Eastside schools with a significant low-income student body. Funds are to be used for the following: non-consumable, reusable materials; a project centered on the environment, science, nature; lessons consistent with the mission of Eastside Audubon.
When the pace of everyday life stresses me out, or the craziness of political news makes me wonder about the future of society, I’m drawn to nature. While it’s difficult to clear my mind of everything that has caused the stress, sometimes I can fill it momentarily with the wonder of the world around us.
While researching some literature in preparation for Eastside Audubon’s upcoming bird survey of the Willowmoor Project area at Marymoor Park, I learned that by taking into consideration some important elements of restoration design and new plantings, restoration of riparian habitat could significantly improve bird abundance and diversity in an area that had previously become degraded.
