Ann Bonnell passed away this past month, appropriately enough right in the middle of this year’s Christmas Bird Counts (CBC). For many years she coordinated the Douglas County CBC leading the Garber Creek part of that circle, she led the Yegge Peak area for the Denver CBC, participated in the Denver Urban CBC, and she led the Vance Creek (Evans Ranch) area for the Evergreen-Idaho Springs CBC. Actually, it was Ann who helped Evergreen Audubon gain access to the Evans Ranch, where she reported wonderful bird and mammal sightings every CBC. Many of us have great memories of being with Ann (sometimes on cross-country skis) on these various CBCs, when she brought jars of honey to the homeowners that we would visit. Susan Harper recalls what a beautiful sight Ann was at Evergreen Lake one year after Ann (in her advanced years) had completed her Vance Creek CBC and she was all covered in snow.
For decades she was an inspirational leader in the regional birding community, volunteering for a variety of roles as a naturalist, environmental educator, conservation activist, and Denver Audubon board member. Ann played a key role in helping Denver Audubon acquire the old homestead at Chatfield State Park that became the nature center there. In recent years she played an active leadership role in challenging the Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project at Chatfield State Park, one of the top spots in the region for avian diversity. In 2018, Ann received the Colorado Field Ornithologist’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
It was Ann, along with Else van Erp, who started Tuesday Birders back in the 70s, and she led most of their weekly outings (almost fifty per year). Else and Ann also ran a Breeding Bird Survey route together over a twenty-year period, and Else helped Ann for almost thirty years on a project she coordinated, conducting monthly bird surveys at the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield where she maintained 49 nest boxes.
Through the years the Evergreen Audubon community has had multiple opportunities to benefit from Ann’s contagious enthusiasm for wildlife, natural areas, and conservation, and we will miss her while remembering her fondly.
Cynthi Madsen has passed on the following message:
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Ann can be made to Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Denver Audubon, or Denver Field Ornithologists. Cards can be sent to Mary Ann Bonnell, 4941 Garrison St., #207, Wheat Ridge 80033. Please don’t leave any memorials at Ann’s Bench in Bear Creek Lake Park because it is prohibited by the parks, but do enjoy watching the birds from her bench. Ann would be so pleased that you did.
Mary Ann will keep us informed when Ann’s Celebration of Life has been organized. The Tuesday Birders will be a big part of that event.
The following articles have also been posted:
- Denver Audubon: In Memoriam: Ann Bonnell – Guardian of Colorado’s Conservation Legacy
- Plan Jeffco: In Memoriam – Ann Bonnell, PLAN Jeffco Board Member