August's Volunteer Shout-Out

Monthy peaks at the volunteers behind Tucson Audubon's programs!

by Kara Kaczmarzyk

Sylvia Foster has run the gamut of volunteer roles at Tucson Audubon Society. She was part of the mail crew ever since Jean Barchman, our Membership Coordinator, can remember. We are sad to see her retire from that steadfast monthly role, but glad to know she will be continuing her volunteer involvement in other areas of Tucson Audubon as she has done for many years! Her eloquent conversations were perfect for outreach tabling events. Before Sherry Massie headed the Tucson Audubon Library renovation, Sylvia worked with David West to manage incoming library donations. This collaborative role required discretion and assertion in managing the large quantities of incoming book donations and deciding what to keep, what to sell, and what to donate on again! Her interest in collections management and the arts stems partly from her studies in Art and Art History. Most recently, Sylvia delved into the art collection of Tucson Audubon. Her insights pointed to two things: the role was a two person job, and we need to prioritize, just as in the library! Thanks Sylvia for your continued insight and interest.

Visit the Nature Shop at Agua Caliente Park on a Thursday morning, and you are in for a treat. Lexie Bivings has volunteered in our small east-Tucson Nature Shop since it opened at the Pima County park in 2005! She is full of stories, memories, and expertise on anything on that site, from a bird seen on the Wake up with the Birds walk to an old foot bridge that used to connect visitors to a small pond island. She’ll even extend her hospitality to showing you around the historic Ranch House in which the Shop is housed. Lexie’s expertise doesn’t rest on Agua Caliente or birding. She has traveled the world (except, regrettably, for Australia), and can recount details of breakfast in Turkey, boating off Denmark, and travels from Russia to Ecuador to, most recently this summer, swimming on the East Coast. Last spring, her sharp birding eye paid off big on the Birdathon team the Agua Caliente Bird Brains, and her literary tendencies drew her to volunteer in our outreach booth at the Festival of Books. Thanks for your welcoming presence, Lexie!

Black-throated Sparrow Photo Credit Doris Evans