The 48th Annual WFO Conference in San Diego marked a transition in our newsletter editor position, as the Board thanked Judith Dunham for her volunteer service to the organization and welcomed Lauren Smith as our new editor.
Judith became newsletter editor in late 2021. During her tenure, she brought contributions to the newsletter from across the WFO community: students, research grant recipients, Board members and staff, WFO founders, and editors and contributors to Western Birds and our series Studies of Western Birds. Issues covered WFO activities and subjects of interest to members, including our conferences, scholarship and grant programs, the inner workings of Western Birds, field trips, and birds in the WFO region.
The WFO newsletter has taken different forms over the years, from a print publication mailed to all members, to an insert in Western Birds, to a downloadable PDF on the WFO website. Working with web consultant Todd Benton, Judith ushered in a new era as the newsletter went to a fully web-based format. This new format allows readers to respond to and interact with authors via comments. The Board is grateful to Judith for her efforts in helping the newsletter to evolve and for her keen editorial work.
When Judith announced her pending departure, the Board decided to make the newsletter editor a paid, part-time position. WFO received more than 50 applications, interviewed 6 candidates, and selected Lauren Smith. Lauren comes to WFO from Montana Audubon, where she is a science communication specialist. She has more than eight years of professional experience with science and research nonprofits. Her background is in writing and editing, biological field research (primarily songbird banding and point counts), and environmental education. She has extensive experience in accessible print and online communications, including working on collaborative projects with disabled, rural, and tribal partners. Her favorite work is finding creative ways to share and engage around bird research and information.
Lauren earned an MS in environmental studies with a focus on environmental writing from the University of Montana. Her thesis was an essay collection titled Wingspan: Living with Birds. Her BA is in both zoology and English (with a creative nonfiction concentration) from Ohio Wesleyan University. She graduated with zoology departmental honors for her research on degrading parrot feathers (some of which was published in Biology Letters).
Lauren was able to join us in San Diego, where she was subjected to a flurry of new introductions and information about WFO! Please welcome Lauren, and if you have an idea for the newsletter, feel free to get in touch with her at newseditor@westernfieldornithologists.org.
—John Harris