OPAS Swan Study volunteers help protect a carrot field—Photo: Shelly Ament
September President's Notes: Many Hands
by Matt McCoy, President
The Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society (OPAS) offers an incredible variety of activities—from field trips and educational programs to community science and bird-friendly initiatives. While we may take these activities for granted, it's our dedicated volunteers who make them all happen.
The Heart of OPAS
Volunteers are our lifeblood. Their behind-the-scenes work keeps our chapter running smoothly. Thanks to their efforts, you can learn about events in our newsletter and register for them on our website and stay up-to-date through social media. They also handle outreach to local media, schedule speakers, and review scholarship applications.
Outreach to newspapers and local officials helps spread the word about our work. Memberships, social media, and web pages get updated so you always know what’s going on. Speakers are contacted and scheduled; scholarship applications are solicited and evaluated.
How You Can Help
At our August board retreat, we discussed a wide range of topics — with one common theme: increasing membership involvement. You, our members, have a wealth of experience and ideas that can benefit OPAS. Do you have a favorite birding spot that you would like to share? Consider leading a field trip. Have all those hours of surfing the net or posting on social media given you insight into how the world wide web actually works? Good with social media? You could help with our electronic outreach. Did you take a wonderful trip to an exotic locale? We’d love to hear about it at a general meeting. Even if you can just identify a bird or two, there are community science projects waiting for your participation.
There's a Place for Everyone
Whether you’ve been volunteering for decades or are new to OPAS, we appreciate your help. Your commitment can be as little as a few hours a year or grow into a true passion. Please contact us if something strikes your fancy. We will also be posting specific volunteer opportunities on our website; there’s something for everyone.
Many hands make the load lighter, and your support keeps our well-oiled machine running smoothly.
As a wise president once said, “Ask not what OPAS can do for you, but what you can do for OPAS” (I may be paraphrasing slightly).