May Volunteer Shout-Out


by Kara Kaczmarzyk


Each month, meet the volunteers behind Tucson Audubon programs!


If you've been to a guided Wednesday bird walk at Sweetwater Wetlands or a Saturday one at the Mason Center, chances are Mike Sadatmousavi was your engaging, patient, and knowledgeable bird walk leader. The first time I ever participated in a bird walk was one morning at the Mason Center, a few weeks after I was hired by Tucson Audubon Society (earlier blog posts gave a shout-out to other Mason Center bird walk leaders Jim Gessaman and Mary EllenFlynn). Mike led that bird walk, and although I couldn't even identify a house finch back then, he didn’t seem to mind at all, and spent time sharing info on all the birds we saw…some less common than others.
 
Mike (right) leads group of Handmaker's Adventure Bus participants on  bird walk at Mason Center
Mike joined the Tucson Audubon volunteer team in the fall of 2011, and since then his repertoire of volunteer activities continues to grow. Mike brings the joy of birding to youth through the River Pathways program, where he and other Tucson Audubon staff and volunteers teach high school students field survey methods at Sweetwater Wetlands and Las Cienegas. Entrenched in the Tucson community, Mike helps bring Tucson Audubon to many community events, like the Festival of Books and Cyclovia. Last December, he organized the after party for the Tucson Christmas Bird Count. A UA graduate in Speech & Hearing, Mike has had a passion for birds since he was 5 years old!

Most of us at Tucson Audubon would know Mike from his naturalist passions, but he draws underground fame for his music skills. A bass player in high school, Mike has produced an “outstanding remix album” among many creative projects. Read about Mike, also known as Altrice, in the UK-based independent online music magazine, The Line of Best Fit, where he reveals his inspirations, “the Catalina Mountains and the CDs I bought in the 90s.” Spot Mike at shows downtown, or walks at Sweetwater!

Image credits: Doris Evans (top) and Angela Salmon

Comments

  1. I am looking forward to the day I can be out there longer than a week or two and really immerse myself in outings like this!

    ReplyDelete

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