WFO President Debbie Van Dooremolen on stage at the closing banquet at the 2024 conference in San Diego. Photo: Lauren Smith.
On behalf of the Board and staff, our hearts go out to all those affected by the recent devastating fires in LA. For those who can, please consider making a charitable donation to organizations providing aid to fire victims.
Although 2025 is off to a rocky start, if we look to our organization, we can find bright spots. Publications, central to WFO’s mission, continue to be strong. Editor Phil Unitt has guided our quarterly peer-reviewed journal Western Birds for 39 years and is aided in this effort by long-time Assistant Editor Dan Gibson. To help keep Western Birds thriving, the Publications Committee, chaired by Dan Ruthrauff, is working on a proposal to use Open Journal Systems (OJS) to dramatically improve search engine optimization. This is critical to supporting high-quality submissions to Western Birds. The committee will present the OJS proposal to the Board in March.
Special Publications Editor Bob Gill is making great progress on two projects: a volume on the avifauna of the Pribilof Islands and a collection of essays by David Leatherman. The latter is a joint project with Colorado Field Ornithologists, which originally published the Leatherman essays in their journal Colorado Birds.
The cover of Vol. 56, No.1, 2025 of Western Birds. Front cover painting of an Alder Flycatcher by © Andrew Birch of Los Angeles, California.
Annual conferences are also a fundamental part of WFO’s activities. Our October 2024 event in San Diego was a highlight of the year. The event attracted more than 270 participants, and we awarded a record 15 scholarships: 10 for students from the U.S. and 5 for students and The latter was a WFO first, and we hope to continue the program in Yakima, Washington, at our 2025 joint conference with Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) scheduled for June 5–8. In our first-ever member survey, participants asked for a conference in the state, and WOS recommended eastern Washington for its exceptional birding.
Left to right: Researchers from Mexico who presented at the 2024 conference in San Diego: Gonzalo De León-Girón, Hiram Rafael Moreno-Higareda, Liliana Ortiz Serrato, Francisco Puente Guevara, Julián García Walther. Photo: Thomas A. Blackman
Conference costs have increased significantly in the past few years, but we are not passing along those higher costs to attendees. Where conferences once helped fill the coffers of the organization, they now tend to lose money. However, we feel that these events are important to WFO’s work, bringing us together to hear research, share ideas and bird with each other. Luckily, WFO is in sound financial shape and can cover the deficit. Still, over the next year, the Board will evaluate the annual conference program.
Contributing to our solid financial footing, we raised more than $50,000 in 2024 in three targeted efforts: the Birdathon, Giving Tuesday, and a special drive for the Oral History Project. In addition to the latter, these funds supported student scholarships and Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail habitat restoration. Trips to Colombia, led by Kurt Leuschner and Phil Unitt, and Wisconsin, led by Jon Dunn, Jeff Baughman, and Tom and Wendy Schultz, also raised thousands of dollars. Then, there are the many donations that we received for our three funds throughout the year. I am profoundly grateful to everyone who provided support. Thank you.
As a result of this generosity, our current balance is $483,000, distributed among three funds:
General Fund: $200,000
Publications Fund: $205,000
Scholarship Fund: $78,000
The General Fund covers the operating expenses of WFO: production of Western Birds, the conference, and administration. The Publications Fund covers the development and production of Special Publications and also supports Western Birds. The Scholarship Fund provides conference scholarships and research grants for students.
With the scholarship fund reinvigorated, the Student Programs Committee (SPC) is diligently reviewing applications for the upcoming conference under the leadership of its new Chair, Teodelina Martelli. Research grant applications are due in mid-March; a record 6 grants were awarded in 2024. The SPC also just kicked off its annual webinar series, which is open to all members. The first of these virtual events, by the Executive Director of Birdability, was a resounding success.
Left to right: Annemarie Reed of Travis Audubon, Birdability founder Virginia Rose, and Birdability Executive Director Cat Fribley birding on an accessible trail at Blair Woods Nature Preserve in Texas. Photo: Mike Fernandez
This work wouldn’t be possible without our tremendous staff: Shaun Wilde, Maci MacPherson and Lauren Smith. Shaun has been our Treasurer and Membership Secretary for several years, but in November, the Board voted to also make her Managing Director, in recognition of all she does for the organization. Maci, our Administrator, continues the vital work of member and donor communications and providing support to the SPC and the Board. Finally, this is Lauren’s first newsletter as its sole editor, and we are thrilled to have her on the team.
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 hope to see you all in Yakima!
Sincerely,
Debbie Van Dooremolen, President
WFO President Debbie Van Dooremolen.