February President’s Notes—A Year of Accomplishments!

Trumpeter Swans, adults and juveniles—Suzanne Anaya/Audubon Photography Awards

President’s Notes—A Year of Accomplishments!

You may have thought you’d seen the last of the year‑end best‑of, review, and highlights articles for 2025, but we have one more—your Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society’s accomplishments. The following are some, though not all, of our chapter’s highlights from 2025 (with a nod to alphabetizing organizational etiquette). We have much to be proud of thanks to our many dedicated volunteers (project leader names are in parentheses). You can find more information about these activities on our web pages.

Thank you to everyone for making 2025 another wonderful year for birds and birders. If you’d like to join our volunteers, please visit the Be Involved page and fill out the form.

Awards

  • Harlequin Award – Dee Renee Ericks joined an illustrious group of past recipients in recognition of her outstanding contributions to our programs and mission.

  • Conservation Awards – Barbara Blackie and Joey Gish were recognized for their commitment to preventing bird strikes on exterior glass at Peninsula College.

Bird‑Friendly Communities

  • Lights Out (Patty Giffin, Joyce Volmut) – OPAS partnered with DarkSky Olympic Peninsula to reduce light pollution. Initial work included a Lights Out Washington Resolution unanimously adopted by Washington Audubon chapters, along with local government proclamations of support.

  • Project BirdSafe (Dee Renee Ericks) – Volunteers monitored windows at Peninsula College throughout the year to evaluate the effectiveness of recently implemented bird‑collision‑prevention measures. Results have been very encouraging.

  • North Olympic Wildlife Habitat Project (Katja Bridwell, Melonie Ramsey) – In less than a year, OPAS enrolled more than 300 backyards to improve habitat for our feathered visitors. The National Wildlife Federation certified the project as a Community Wildlife Habitat™ in May.

Conservation and Community Science

  • Advocacy – Members worked at local, state, and national levels on a variety of issues, advocating for the importance of birds and their habitats and helping better inform decision makers and our members.

  • Climate Watch (Joyce Volmut) – Thirteen volunteers completed 63 Climate Watch checklists during May and June, monitoring key species including Western Bluebirds.

  • Pigeon Guillemot Breeding Survey (Bob Phreaner) – Between June and mid‑September, 36 observers spent 703 hours monitoring Pigeon Guillemots throughout Clallam County. Local monitoring began in 2015.

  • Purple Martin Nest Box Project (Ken Wiersema, Dow Lambert) – Since 1998, Ken, Dow, and others have constructed, placed, maintained, and monitored nest boxes—46 in 2025—at key coastal locations.

  • Swan Survey (Liam Antrim, Laura Davis) – Weekly counts conducted from October through March since 2011 continue to provide in‑depth information on how Trumpeter and Tundra Swans use the Sequim-Dungeness area.

Counts

  • Christmas Bird Counts (Bob Boekelheide) – Three counts were conducted in December on the North Olympic Peninsula: Sequim‑Dungeness – Bob Boekelheide ; Port Angeles – Barbara Blackie; Neah Bay – Charlie Wright. The Sequim‑Dungeness count, celebrating its 50th anniversary, reported 146 species spotted by 116 observers during 264 party hours. Results for the Neah Bay and Port Angeles counts are still being tabulated.

  • Wednesday Bird Walks (Bob Boekelheide) – Over 53 Wednesdays (a bonus year), 949 observers counted 16,703 birds and 95 species—quite the backyard list!

Dungeness River Nature Center (Audrey Gift, Marie Grad, Matt McCoy)

  • Our partnership with the River Center entered an exciting new phase last fall with the addition of Michael Glore as the Center’s new Executive Director. Michael’s enthusiasm and interpretive background will help foster our shared goals of appreciation, education, and stewardship of the natural world. Newly appointed River Center emeritus board member Ken Wiersema continues to provide valued counsel and perspective.

  • Chapter members assisted with a variety of Center events, from BirdFest in April to Nature Mart in December.

Education

  • Backyard Birding (Ken Wiersema) – Nearly 400 people attended eight Saturday Backyard Birding classes to learn all about backyard birds from the indefatigable Ken Wiersema and others. An additional 50 participants learned about nest‑box building and Purple Martins.

  • Evening Programs (Tom Butler) – Nine programs on topics ranging from insects and plants to ecosystems and radar were enjoyed by 640 people. We also introduced table seating and revived a social half‑hour of cookies to create more engaging evenings.

  • Scholarships (Tom Butler, Bob Boekelheide, Sue Dryden, Karen Cwirla, Rhonda Coats) – Five deserving students from Port Angeles and Sequim high schools received $1,000 scholarships to support their higher‑learning adventures in the biological sciences.

Field Trips (Marie Grad)

  • Reaching young and mature, novice and experienced birders alike, twenty field trips throughout the year explored beaches, rivers, Hurricane Ridge, and all points in between.

Membership (Audrey Gift)

  • We finished the year just shy of 400 members, including lifetimers, three‑year members, and annual renewals. Help us reach the quaternary level in 2026!

Publicity (Rhonda Coats)

  • We broadened our reach and audience by expanding outreach through local media sources to inform the greater public about our work.

Social Media (Dee Renee Ericks, Mary Porter‑Solberg)

  • Regular tasty tidbits of information, updates, and event notices were shared on Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor. Preparing your yard for winter was an especially popular topic, with more than 3,600 visits!

Website / Newsletters (Mary Porter‑Solberg, Dee Renee Ericks)

  • Newsletters – Our January–February 2025 newsletter marked our final edition using a standard newsletter format. Mary transitioned to an online version for the remaining monthly editions, providing more dynamic access and up‑to‑date information, along with in‑depth articles on bird biology and conservation. Our events were shared with the Dungeness River Nature Center newsletter.

  • Website – Our OPAS website continues to be a fountain of knowledge for all things birds—from improving backyard habitat to the latest updates on community science projects.

Chapter Mechanics (Karen Cwirla, Sue Dryden, and a cast of tens)

  • Although it’s not alphabetically correct, none of the preceding accomplishments would have been possible without the hard work and patience of those ensuring we remain financially sound, our efforts are recorded for posterity, and thoughtful, informed discussions lead to sound decisions and actions. Thank you for another incredible year!