Director Transitions

In recent months, Carol Beardmore (AZ) and Teresa Connell (NM) stepped down to fulfill other commitments. Carol served for 2 years, her second stretch on the board (her first was 2006–2012), and Teresa for 3 years. The board is deeply grateful for their service and looks forward to their continued involvement with the organization.

While we feel their loss, the Nominating Committee found great candidates to fill their positions. The board voted unanimously to elect Char Glacy (CA) to fill Carol’s position in April. Teresa’s position opened at the annual meeting in Yakima, where the membership elected Isabelle Busch (CO). Both are already hard at work for WFO. See below to learn more!

Char Glacy

Following a long career in information technology and systems management, Char now devotes her time to travel, birding, and volunteer work. She spent over five years collecting, identifying, and logging botanical specimens for the San Diego Natural History Museum as part of the San Diego Plant Atlas. In another multi-year endeavor, Char walked 1,061 miles of the California Coastal Trail, documenting each county segment along the way, including the plants, birds, and mammals she encountered.

Char has been a member of the Explorers Club since 2009. She served as secretary of the San Diego Chapter for six years and was elected chapter chair for 2021–2022. An avid birder, she has participated in the annual Hatch Year Count on Midway Atoll and is an active member of the Palomar Audubon Society, where she served several years on the board as conservation chair. In 2019, she was elected secretary of San Diego Field Ornithologists, a position she continues to hold. Char coordinated field trips for the 2024 WFO Conference in San Diego and is now the chair of the WFO Trips Committee.

Isabelle Busch

Isabelle is a science journalist conducting her ecology MS thesis on raven vocalizations. When she’s not chasing jungle birds or following mysterious animal tracks, she covers stories on wild species and spaces. She was brought to the attention of the Nominating Committee by Ted Floyd, former WFO Board member and long-time editor of ABA’s Birding magazine. She is excited to contribute her skills in writing and graphic design to WFO during her term. To this end, Isabelle designed the shirt for the upcoming WFO Birdathon and will be contributing to our newsletter and Website Taskforce.

 

Reelections

In addition to filling open positions, we also had some reelections: Dan King (CA), Dan Ruthrauff (AK) and Elisabeth Ammon (NV) to their second 3-year terms, as well as me as president for a second 1-year term. Visit the WFO website to view the full roster of board members.

 

Activities

At the board’s June meeting in Yakima, we voted on two new sponsorships. One supports our increased outreach in Mexico and is for the XXII Congreso para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves, organized by CIPAMEX. The conference will be held in Ensenada, Mexico, September 28–October 2, 2025. WFO is sponsoring a travel award for a keynote speaker, and I am thrilled to announce that Dr. Enriqueta Velarde has accepted our invitation to present! Additionally, Hiram Rafael Moreno Higareda, WFO board member, is a coordinator for the conference and has five scholarships available for Spanish-speaking WFO members. Each scholarship will cover full registration and access to all congress activities, including keynotes, symposia, workshops, cultural events, and discussion panels. Although travel and lodging are not included, we hope this will encourage participation from WFO’s Latin American and bilingual community.

The other sponsorship is for $10,000 to the California Bird Atlas. Van Pierszalowski has organized a nonprofit to coordinate this ambitious project, which will be the first for the state. Founding partners select a species to sponsor and WFO members, through an online poll, overwhelmingly choose Yellow-billed Magpie. Selecting a state endemic calls WFO back to its roots; we started out as the California Field Ornithologists back in 1970. While this was a large donation, the endeavor will contribute significantly to field ornithology in the state and has strong board support.

The board also met in July, to discuss membership. The WFO community is vibrant, but membership has decreased somewhat over the past year. The increase in the individual membership rate by $10 may be a financial burden for some in these trying times. However, costs to print Western Birds, our flagship peer-reviewed journal, have increased substantially and membership fees, even with the increased rate, do not currently cover the full distribution cost. At the July meeting, the board discussed all that WFO has to offer and various ways to increase membership. We came up with several ideas (e.g., mentoring, “stories from the field”) but would also love to hear yours, so please share in the Comments section.

The board will meet again in September, with a focus on WFO committees. Examples include publications, student programs, Mexico programs, finance, and fundraising. We will receive status reports and evaluate the current structure, including the possible addition of a membership/outreach committee and combining of the finance and fundraising committees. Board members comprise the majority of most committees, but regular WFO members can also join, so let us know if any spark your interest.

With the above, you’ve seen some of what the board is doing to implement WFO’s mission. I believe it is important to put the organization’s funds to work to support field ornithology in the West. Please let us know how we are doing and, if you like it (or even better, love it), please consider donating to keep it going!

 

August 2025 | Debbie Van Dooremolen, Board President