The Board of Directors held their annual Board retreat in August. SSBA standing and major committees gave reports on their progress towards their 2026 goals and formulated goals for 2027. The new budget was approved and major projects for the coming year were chosen. The approved projects are:
1. Library birding backpacks – see Kim Adelson’s article on this which is included in this issue of the Echo
2. Kestrel nest boxes – The primary goal of the project is to contribute to the productivity of kestrels in the South Sound chapter area in order that the population can be stable over time. A secondary goal is to engage volunteers in avian conservation and encourage further conservation activity. According to National Audubon, the American Kestrel is the most common and widespread falcon in North America and is considered low conservation concern. However, numbers have been declining since 1966 due to habitat loss, less prey availability and fewer nesting cavities. The committee chair for this project is Laura Till who is researching and devising a method of cleaning out kestrel boxes without getting on a ladder. Kelly McAllister and Fred Bergdolt are also on the committee and they are now looking for locations to install our first set of kestrel boxes. Please see the photos below of Laura’s prototypes.
3. Lights Out – You may have seen messaging to turn off outdoor lighting during fall and spring migration. This is a great project that is gaining steam nationwide. SSBA will be ramping up our efforts on this with Deb Nickerson as project chairperson. She is forming a committee now and would love to hear from anyone interested in helping. debranick@gmail.com
Photos by Kathleen Snyder
