From CA president Barb Revard
To promote the appreciation, understanding and conservation of birds, other wildlife and their habitats, for present and future generations. The mission statement for Columbus Audubon is simple and to the point. It speaks to me and to the passion I have had for the environment since I was a small girl growing up in west-central Ohio. I lived in a tiny town surrounded by farm fields and woodlots, garter snakes, box turtles and naturally, birds. My parents were not really fascinated with birds. According to them we had sparrows and blackbirds, occasionally a hawk, and that was about it. My grandmother however, had a different outlook. On her farm just two miles down the road I discovered birds with colorful feathers! Maybe the difference was that Grandma had a little more time to sit with me and just watch nature around us. She taught me that American goldfinches were wild canaries and indigo buntings were bluebirds. Your field guide may disagree, but I know she was right! Because, to a five-yearold girl, learning to look, listen and observe was a more important lesson than getting the name correct. On my grandparents farm I learned to sit quiet as can be to watch the frogs on the edge of the creek and the great blue herons flying overhead in the evening, returning to their roost in the neighbor’s woods. I am sure most of you also had similar experiences, those special moments that opened your eyes to the beauty of nature. I think our responsibility is to share our passion with someone else. Rachel Carson once said, “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.” I believe adults too, need that companion to share nature with, to revel in the beauty of our natural world and to express joy at the simple things that surround us. I know that Columbus Audubon can be, and already is, that connection for our community. The members and volunteers of Columbus Audubon share their joy and wonder of the natural world week after week, month after month. Please join a field trip, work trip or a monthly program or volunteer to keep our organization a strong community resource. I have so enjoyed getting to know more CA members this past two years while I served as your president. I am in awe of the commitment of our volunteers and know that the future will always be bright when we have such amazing people sharing their passion for nature and the environment with others in our community. Oh, and just to set the record straight, when my Mom became a grandmother (with a little more time on her hands) she became quite the birder! She planted native plants, kept her birdfeeders filled and had binoculars and a field guide next to the kitchen window. Just a few weeks before she passed away she called me early one morning, so excited that she had rose-breasted grosbeaks at her feeders! Barb Revard