Celebrating Accomplishments

A Night for the Birds

Coming together for birds!

Our 2023 fall fundraiser, A Night for the Birds, was a night to remember! 160+ people flocked together and raised over $145,000 to support Bird Conservancy’s vision of a future where birds are forever abundant, contributing to healthy landscapes, and inspiring human curiosity and love of nature! Thank you to our sponsors!

Thank you for joining us and making the night one to remember!

The Richard G. Levad Award was presented at our fall fundraiser to Amy Seglund, seen here with Executive Director Tammy VerCauteren and Karen Levad

Thank you to Denver Museum of Nature and Science for hosting the fundraiser and to our sponsors for making this evening possible!

Thank you to Odell Brewing for hosting the Block Party and to our sponsors for making this evening possible!

Spring Block Party

Our first annual spring Block Party at Odell Brewing in Fort Collins was an incredible success. Over 150 people came together, raised a glass, and supported Bird Conservancy’s mission of conserving birds and their habitats through an integrated approach of science, education and land stewardship. Proceeds supported our new Fort Collins bird banding station at Pineridge Natural Area. Thank you to our sponsors!

A Year of Making Connections: Bird Conservancy Events

Thirsty Bird

2023 saw the expansion of our Thirsty Bird happy hour series. Guests mixed and mingled at local watering holes and shared their passion for all thing’s birds! We are so grateful to our guests and our hosts!

If you would like to join us at future events, you can find upcoming events on our event calendar.

Speaker Series

Bird Conservancy and Denver Museum of Nature Science had another great year of hosting exceptional scientists, researchers and authors. We kicked off the series with a fascinating presentation on Indigenous lifeways and bird conservation from Aimee Roberson. In October, New York Times best seller Jennifer Ackerman joined us to discuss her new book What an Owl Knows: The new science of the world’s most enigmatic birds

Field Trips

Bird Conservancy supporters also got out into the field with us in 2023. There was no shortage of excitement with great birding throughout the year. From Black Swifts and Sandhill Cranes in the San Luis Valley to bird banding at Barr Lake State Park to amazing grassland birds at Pawnee National Grassland, our supporters were able to see our work up close and learn more from our exceptional staff.

Donor Highlight: Larry Modesitt

Larry Modesitt’s contribution to Bird Conservancy of the Rockies cannot be overstated. We are so grateful for his many years of service to our organization. Beyond his 17 years as a member of our Board of Directors, Larry played leadership roles in the development of our business operations and strategic direction. We recently asked him to reflect on his lifelong dedication to conservation and his time with Bird Conservancy. As expected, the story Larry told was thoughtful and inspirational!

–Donor Profile–

Nearing age 10, two friends and I were hiking in the Devils Head wilderness area near Pikes Peak, Colorado. Descending the mountain, we took a shortcut away from my friend’s father and got lost. It was too treacherous to find our way before dark, I was wearing only a T-shirt, and temperatures dropped to freezing, so we spent the night huddled together. The father called the other parents who frantically converged in the parking lot. A ranger tried to calm them by saying, “Don’t worry, we got rid of all seven mountain lions.” A hopeful rescuer returned breathlessly, saying, “A bear chased me!” What a lucky night! That’s because my mother said, “Join Boy Scouts, or forget visiting mountains!”

I joined! My first year at scout camp, I earned merit badges in Forestry, Wildlife Management, and Nature, which required me to learn to identify 25 different bird species. Who knew there were that many nearby? I loved being in the wilderness!

Years later, running with my dog, I came upon many people peering through spotting scopes. I stopped. They were members of Denver Field Ornithologists, and they helped me to see many more than those first 25 species. When my work took me all over the U.S., I brought my binoculars. Eventually, I birded in 42 states and six continents and through this experience I developed many warm and lifelong friendships. I enjoyed seeing kingfishers nesting in a riverbank and sandgrouse carrying oasis water in their feathers fifty miles across the desert for their young.

Larry Modesitt

I was astonished how birds evolved to fill specialized habitats worldwide. Birds have helped me understand how habitats are important and interconnected. I saw firsthand the dangers of habitat loss and how climate change imperiled species’ survival. I realized it was vital for me personally to do something to conserve the birds I loved watching.

As my interests developed, I contributed to many conservation groups, but Bird Conservancy of the Rockies was unique. Their model based on Science, Stewardship, and Education, like a three-legged stool, are vital together to conserve birds and their habitats for generations to come. I liked that they used unbiased science to guide decisions, and that they worked glove-to-glove with landowners to make land more productive and profitable over the long term. It was special that their science-based data were trusted by organizations and people that often clashed—government agencies versus farmers or ranchers.

I also was impressed that Education is a major part of their mission. At the Barr Lake banding station, I watched a young girl holding a just-banded, fragile and nearly weightless warbler. It suddenly took flight. The girl’s eyes glistened, she squealed —it was as if I just witnessed a biologist in the making.

Bird Conservancy’s culture of inclusiveness is demonstrated by its leadership of the Grasslands Summit, which drew over 200 government, private, and cultural organizations to plan and implement together for the next 10 years, all to reverse the decline in grassland birds, support healthy grasslands and human communities. Who else could have done that?

I am especially pleased about the enhanced migratory data generated from the many Motus stations Bird Conservancy is installing.

I gratefully give funds to support Bird Conservancy’s programs, because we need to conserve the land where people live and work. That’s why their collaboration with people produces a win-win that’s also enjoyable! Bird Conservancy is big enough to make huge impacts, but small enough for me to visualize my dollars getting results!

Contributing to a healthier landscape is the greatest legacy I can imagine leaving. I’m proud to help create a healthier landscape for my grandchildren.

Creating a Legacy for Birds, People, and the Land!

Members of our Golden Eagle Society are generous donors who have included Bird Conservancy of the Rockies in their estate plans.

When you include Bird Conservancy in your estate plans, you are creating a legacy that will help ensure birds are forever abundant, contributing to healthy landscapes and inspiring human curiosity and love of nature. Your planned gift will have impacts for generations to come! A planned gift also gives you membership in Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Golden Eagle Society.

Have you already included Bird Conservancy of the Rockies in your estate? Please let us know by contacting Joe Pettit at [email protected] or 303-659-4348 x 12.

Click here to learn more about the Golden Eagle Society

GOLDEN EAGLE SOCIETY MEMBERS

We are honored to be included in the estate plans of the following donors and appreciate the opportunity to be part of their legacies.

Anonymous (8)
Charles Bell
Kevin Bliss
Charles Chase
Martha Dick
Deborah Hagood
Katherine Holland
Barb Holme
Kathanne Lynch
Meredith McBurney
Larry Modesitt
Jean Morgan
Randy and Nancy Morgan
Thomas Parchman
Robert Righter
Jean Tate
John & Debra Taylor
Ed Warner and Jackie Erickson
Katheryn Whitesides-Grubb

2023 Corporate Support & Partnerships

Bird Conservancy is grateful to engage with companies and organizations to expand our reach and further our mission of conserving birds and their habitats through science, education and land stewardship.