(by Rebecca Suomala)

In the fall of 2024, I officially retired from NH Audubon after more than 36 years. It still amazes me to think I was with NH Audubon for so many years. How did that happen?

Before I even started at NH Audubon, I remember being at Frankenstein Cliff and seeing a Peregrine Falcon bring food to the nest. It was amazing. This was one of New Hampshire’s first Peregrine nests in modern times. Back then, bird reports were mailed to NH Audubon on 3×5 slips and I found that original Peregrine report. It was May 23, 1986, and I remember thinking, some people worked very hard to make this happen. It brought tears to my eyes. I didn’t know I would soon be working with one of those people.

In 1987 my husband Mark and I quit our jobs and took six months to travel around the US, camping along the way. We targeted the National Parks but also visited many monuments and refuges. When we returned, I was committed to working towards a better environment. That job at the bank was not for me. I was excited to be hired by NH Audubon in February of 1988 as the phone receptionist and store clerk. Thus began my career of 36 plus years in positions that included Wildlife Department Secretary, Volunteer Coordinator, Natural History Services, and eventually, after I received my Master’s degree, a Biologist in the Conservation Department.

When I started, my computer had a slot for a single floppy disk and no hard drive. The weekly Rare Bird Alert was recorded on a tape in an old-fashioned answering machine with a separate phone number. There was no such thing as a NH Audubon website or email. When I laid out New Hampshire Bird Records I glued on little illustrations in the blank spaces on the page before bringing it to the printer. There have been absolutely amazing changes.

I’ve had the privilege of working with people who share my interests and passion for the environment. That’s rare. I’ve been spoiled. I forget that’s not how the rest of the world is. We can share fun bird sightings, get excited about the first spring wood frogs in the parking lot, share the excitement of a cool butterfly in the garden, or watch an eclipse together. We are all committed to NH Audubon’s mission and it is the people I work with who have kept me here all these years.

There have been sacrifices, such as the 17 years many of us worked with just one raise, but there have also been many rewards, like the flexibility to complete my Master’s degree which included being away for two months at a time to run a banding station on Star Island.

I am so grateful for the many volunteers who have helped me over the years, the donors who have supported our projects, and my fellow staff members who have been incredibly supportive. Working at NH Audubon has been like being part of a second family. I have struggled when the family went through hard times but the friendships stayed strong and that family helped me when I went through hard times. I will never forget my co-workers who surprised me with an issue of New Hampshire Bird Records in memory of my mom who had just passed. Or the two volunteers who answered my panicked call at 3pm one afternoon and came over to help me pack up my house before the movers arrived the next morning. Or the volunteer who offered to drive me to the hospital where my father lay dying. It is those friendships and connections that have meant the most to me.

I have a deep and abiding love of birds, wildlife, and all of the natural environment. I am heartbroken at what we have lost, and still could lose, but I am excited to see a new generation doing amazing conservation work, and to have one of that new generation, Grace McCulloch, taking on my job. NH Audubon is in the strongest condition that I have seen in my entire tenure and I cannot tell you how happy that makes me feel. I am grateful to those who have worked so hard to get us here.

I look forward to continuing to contribute to the organization’s work and I am deeply honored to be NH Audubon’s first Emeritus Biologist. Thank you to all who have supported me over the years from within and without the organization. I hope to see you out birding!