(by Anita Fernandez)

Despite some early rain and wind, NH Audubon’s Massabesic Center in Auburn hosted an enthusiastic group of about 100 individuals at the 2023 Annual Member Celebration & Meeting on Saturday September 16.

We presented 16 exceptional volunteers with this year’s Golden Binoculars awards, learned about how the Endangered Species Act impacted NH conservation work from expert panelists, led four nature activities: a garden photography workshop, a guided nature hike, a workshop on nature apps, and a presentation on what its like to be a Bald Eagle Monitor volunteer. We also held our annual Business Meeting, reviewed the year’s shared successes and heartwarming moments with remarks from both our President Doug Bechtel and Board Chair Nisa Marks.

Three annual awards were presented: The Tudor Richards award to Karen P. Bennett; the Goodhue-Elkins award to George W. Gavutis Jr.; and the John Thalheimer award to Sandra Bowles. For more information on these awards and this year’s recipients, please visit here.

The day’s finale offered a presentation and book signing by award-winning author Jennifer Ackerman. Jennifer’s newest book, What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds, explores the way owls have adapted to survive across the globe, as well as how our historical views of them have impacted our behavior towards them. Great Grays are known as the “wolves of the sky” and Burrowing Owls will decorate the outside of their burrows with everything from animal scat to kitchen sponges!