WFO had a strong year in 2025. Publications continue to be core to our mission, and we took two important steps toward ensuring the continued high quality of our peer-reviewed journal Western Birds. The Publications Committee, chaired by Dan Ruthrauff, led a project using Open Journal Systems to improve search engine optimization for the journal, most notably making its articles discoverable by Google Scholar. Additionally, long-time editor Phil Unitt hired an intern to learn the ropes of producing Western Birds.
Special Publications Editor Bob Gill continued to make progress on a volume on the avifauna of the Pribilof Islands as well as a collection of essays by David Leatherman, a joint project with Colorado Field Ornithologists who originally published The Hungry Bird essays in Colorado Birds.
Annual conferences are key to our organization. They bring us together in the shared camaraderie of our love of birds and the science that increases our understanding of them. Our 2025 joint conference with Washington Ornithological Society in Yakima in early June was a success, building a bond between our two organizations. For 2026, we will host the annual conference, our milestone 50th event, September 17–20. The conference will be in beautiful Ashland, Oregon, right on the northern California border, in partnership with our two host organizations—Klamath Bird Observatory and Oregon Birding Association. Expect all the activities you love, elevated to mark the golden anniversary of the annual event that is so important to our WFO community.
Our publications and conference take a significant amount of time and resources to coordinate and produce. Delving into WFO’s current financial position, we have ~$439K distributed among three funds:
- General Fund: ~$158K
- Publications Fund: ~$185K
- Scholarship Fund: ~$96K
Since the Board turns over regularly, it recently approved the following descriptions of the funds to help ensure future directors and officers understand the purpose of each:
- The General Fund supports ongoing WFO operational and administrative expenses, membership outreach, printing and distribution of Western Birds, conferences, tours, and other activities as directed by the WFO Board.
- The Publications Fund maintains the high quality of Western Birds by supporting special issues and other projects to enhance the journal and its reach. The fund also supports the Studies of Western Birds monograph series and standalone WFO publications.
- The Michael R. San Miguel Student Scholarship Fund supports students and early-career ornithologists by providing scholarships to attend WFO conferences, research and travel grants, internships, and other education-related programs.
The solid financial footing described above is due in large part to the generosity of our members and Board, who rose to the fundraising challenge in 2025, bringing in nearly $73,000. Thank you! While funds came in throughout the year, the bulk was raised during the Birdathon and Giving Tuesday, with a focus on student programs. A trip to Costa Rica, led by charter member Jon Dunn in partnership with Flyway Birding Tours (formerly Crescentia Expeditions), also raised funds, a portion of which was earmarked for publications.
The Student Programs Committee (SPC) recently met to discuss conference and other activities. Applications for 2026 research grants were due March 15 and conference travel grants and scholarships are due March 31. A record 10 research grants were awarded in 2025, and WFO is looking forward to awarding its first four travel grants for early-career professionals and graduate students to participate in the conference. The SPC just lined up naturalist Scott Weidensaul for a fascinating journey through his avian research projects. The April 4 webinar at 4 pm PT is full.
This work wouldn’t be possible without our exceptional staff: Shaun Wilde, Maci MacPherson and Lauren Smith. Shaun is our Treasurer and Membership Secretary, both WFO officer positions, as well as our Managing Director. Our team delivered an exceptional Fall Newsletter, developed new fundraising tools and ensured that WFO exceeded our 2025 fundraising goals. They have also been collaborating on a new website, which launched at the beginning of March.
I thank the Board and our staff for their hard work and dedication and you, our members, for your generous support of this organization. I am deeply grateful.
I look forward to seeing you in Ashland!
Sincerely,
Debbie Van Dooremolen, President
March 2026