The annual banquet on January 20th was a delightful affair where we celebrated all our volunteers, supporters, and birding challenge winners.

After socializing over drinks and delicious tacos, I started the program by getting folks out of their seats. I asked them to stand if they had contributed their time or funds to Evergreen Audubon in any way – I believe we had everyone on their feet by the time I finished the list of possible volunteering efforts:

• Volunteered at the Nature Center or did a Wildlife Watch shift
• Helped setup or takedown the Nature Center
• Participated in any of our many outreach programs: The Dam Ducky Derby, Elevation Celebration, the Alternative Gift Fair, the Lake House Concerts, or Denver Mountain Parks collaborations
• Supported the Triple-By-Pass
• Spent time with the children during Summer Camps, Break Camps, or After School Programs
• Helped with the Native Plant Sale or with our Native Plant Garden
• Helped with the wreath sales
• Helped stuff envelopes for one of our mailings
• Provided snacks or was a greeter at a chapter meeting
• Helped with trash pick-up for the adopt-a-highway or lake clean-up days
• Built, sold, or delivered nest boxes
• Participated in the dipper survey or the nest box surveys at Elk Meadow or Alderfer Three Sisters
• Helped with the Christmas Bird Count

Evergreen Audubon is so fortunate to have a tremendous volunteer community. We couldn’t do all we do without all of you! Thank you so much!!!

Once folks settled back down in their seats, I presented four very special awards: Rachel Hutchison and Steve Garman received the President’s Award of the Royal Order of the Dipper while Brad Andres & Heather Johnson and Carmon Slater & Donald Randall received Founder’s Awards.

Rachel  Hutchinson received her award for all the behind-the-scenes work she does!  She’s been our treasurer since 2016 – in that role, she managed our quick-book account and budget reports, organized payroll, and taxes, dealt with the bank, paid our bills, and kept us all grounded. But she does so much more… she organizes and hosts the nest-box builds (this year designing two new nesting platforms); she spends many hours monitoring nest boxes (this year she’s kicking off the adopt-a-nest-box program); she mends and creates new animal costumes for the Nature Center; and she provides the Evergreen Newcomers groups with Evergreen Auduboon flyers. Essentially she volunteers for almost everything we need a volunteer for!  Thank you, Rachel, for all you do for Evergreen Audubon.

Steve Garman received his award for not realizing how much he volunteers. By the virtue of being my husband, he ends up helping me in so many ways – he goes to the Post Office to pick up and drop off bulk mailings; co-leads our Triple By-Pass effort; handles most of the recycling of wreath boxes; helps transport the silent auction from our staging area to the Bash & Benefit; delivers tons of nest boxes during our online sales; and always helps with the Nature Center setup and takedown and even gladly transports Bob (the bear) between his winter home at our house and the Nature Center. Thank you, Steve, for all you do for me and Evergreen Audubon.

As for the Founder’s Awards –

Brad and Heather couldn’t be there, but we still celebrated everything they’ve done for Evergreen Audubon – especially getting the Nature Center off the ground. They were instrumental in finding and securing the first nature exhibits, including the famous touch-table, and coordinating our wildlife salvage permits for our taxidermy, even coordinating getting Heather our mountain lion from Florida back to Colorado. Both Brad and Heather served on our Board with Brad serving consecutively for 16 years. Under their leadership and guidance Evergreen Audubon’s role in the community transformed from its origin as a birding organization to a full-fledged provider of nature education and conservation advocacy. We know they are enjoying their new home in Laramie and hope they’ll be back for our Annual Bash and Benefit.

Also instrumental in starting the Nature Center were Carmon and Donald. Carmon, using his science teaching and art backgrounds, designed and built the exhibit panels and the wonderful benches that encourage volunteers and visitors alike to slow down and sit to gaze out on our beautiful lake. He also designed and built the puppet theater which is enjoyed by creative children and adults daily throughout the season. Donald, who passed away this fall, was one of the first visitor assistants at the Nature Center when it opened in 2008. He served on the steering committee and help mentor many volunteers over the years, including me. He was legendary, probably donating more volunteer hours than any other volunteer and he won the volunteer of the year many years in a row. In addition to helping with the Nature Center, Carmon created and donated a beautiful bird quilt that we raffled off in 2021 as a fundraiser!  Thank you Carmon for all you’ve given Evergreen Audubon, and we miss you, Donald!

After I shared an emotional hug with Carmon, Emma Vasacek presented her Outreach and Education Volunteer Awards followed by Chuck Aid’s presentation of the 2022 Bird of the Year and Birding Challenge Winners.

Here are a few photos from the evening:

It was another great banquet! I’m so pleased to have shared the evening with so many amazing people.