Eastside Audubon Turns Out for Wetlands Fair

Eastside Audubon Turns Out for Wetlands Fair

By Lori Danielson

The City of Bellevue held a family-friendly World Wetlands Day open house on the first Saturday in February at the beautiful Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center and Eastside Audubon joined in the fun by setting up an information table at the fair. World Wetlands Day is a global event held each February to recognize the importance of protecting our wetland ecosystems. EAS was among several other environmentally-oriented local nonprofits represented, including 300 Trees, Bellevue Master Naturalists, Bats Northwest, Washington Native Plant Society and Beavers NW.

The Eastside Audubon table was staffed by volunteers eager to introduce community members to birds and our organization. EAS Community Outreach Chair Jeannine Sielinski was joined by volunteer Lori Danielson for the 3-hour event in which we displayed our mounted Red-tailed Hawk and Bufflehead to draw interested children and adults to the table and answered participants’ questions about birds. We offered Eastside Audubon brochures and maps of The Great Washington State Birding Trail. The event was not too heavily attended but it was a nice way to start 2024’s community outreach effort.

If you’re interested in volunteering for Eastside Audubon at future outreach events, email Executive Director Amanda León at office@eastsideaudubon.org.

Volunteer Holiday Gift Wrapping Program Manager Needed!

Volunteer Holiday Gift Wrapping Program Manager Needed!

Do you have an interest in volunteering with Eastside Audubon in leadership capacity?  If so, we want to hear from you!

Eastside Audubon is looking for a volunteer to become our Holiday Gift Wrapping Program Manager.

Background:

Prior to the COVID pandemic, Eastside Audubon would hold an annual holiday gift wrapping booth during the week leading up to Christmas.  Our booth was located inside the REI store in Issaquah.  Our volunteers would wrap gifts in cloth gift bags made by our members or wrapping paper in exchange for donations from shoppers.  We would like to restart that tradition.

About You:

You are an enthusiastic person who can jump in with both feet and represent the chapter.  Building relationships with other volunteers and organizations is your jam.  

About The Position:

This position requires a commitment of a few hours a week, from July through the end of December.  Specific duties can be summed up into 3 categories:

1. Materials. Solicit donations for the cloth to make the gift bags from Eastside Audubon members or organizations in our service area

2. Relationship Development. You will work with REI Issaquah or another business that is willing to host the fundraiser again and schedule the time that our gift wrapping booth will be there.

3. Volunteer Recruitment. Recruit volunteers to sew the gift bags and others to do the gift wrapping. Historically, we have staffed the booth every evening and on the weekend for the week leading up to Christmas.

Don’t let this sound overwhelming.  This is a fun and rewarding part of our fundraising efforts and we will support and guide you 100% of the way!

For more information, please reach out to Jeremy Lucas at Jeremy.lucas79@gmail.com