About Us

 

Spotted Sandpiper. Photo by Ken Miracle.

Who We Are

Golden Eagle Audubon Society is Southwest Idaho’s chapter of the National Audubon Society, based in Boise, Idaho. We offer birding trips for all ages, monthly educational presentations, community science programs, as well as conservation and restoration of public lands. Golden Eagle Audubon Society is dedicated to offering a majority of our programming for free and open to the public.

Our Mission

Golden Eagle Audubon Society is dedicated to building an understanding, appreciation, and respect for the natural world in order to conserve and restore natural ecosystems for birds and other wildlife.

Burrowing Owl. Photo by Verdon Tomajko/Audubon Photography Awards.

Leadership

Visit our Contact page if you would like to connect with a member of our staff or Board of Directors!

Staff

Cynthia Wallesz: Executive Director

Danae Fails: Stewardship Coordinator

Liz Paul: Program Coordinator

Danae, Cynthia and Liz

Board of Directors

Dan Salemi: President

John White: Treasurer, Finance Chair

Sam Bellis: Secretary

Jordan Bates: At-large; Field Trip Leader

Louisa Evers: At-large; Education Committee Chair, Field Trip Leader

Jeff Foss: At-large; Advocacy Committee

Karen Fullen: At-large; Habitat Patch Adviser, Advocacy Committee chair

Patti Guicheteau: At-large; Field Trip Leader, Finance Committee

Jo Anne Lafferty: At-large; Field Trip Leader

Sierra Laverty: At-large; Development Chair

Jon Mathews: At-large, Presenter, Finance Committee

Abby Urbanek: At-large, Development Committee, Advocacy Committee

Additional Leadership

Danette Henderson: Coffee Club Coordinator

Sean Finn: Native Plant Network Founder & Director, Past President, Manager for Boise River ReWild Project

 

Cedar Waxwing. Chip Gross/Audubon Photography Awards.

Board of Directors

Our Work and Goals

Golden Eagle Audubon will grow its capacity for grassroots education, conservation, and advocacy through community-driven programs and sound governance practices. To learn more, explore this website and see our current strategic plan.

Community Partnerships

Golden Eagle Audubon is a highly collaborative nonprofit organization. Much of what we accomplish is possible because of our caring and connected community.

  • Golden Eagle Audubon commits to assisting the City of Boise in maintaining and improving the Warm Springs Park and east section of the Bethine Church Nature Trail through multiple volunteer efforts each year.

    From weeding to spreading mulch, to cleaning up litter, and wrapping trees to protect them from beavers, we partner to make an impact!

  • Golden Eagle Audubon supports for the Boise Area City Nature Challenge. This community science initiative takes place over four days in the spring and is part of a friendly global competition to help capture biodiversity while engaging people in nature. Check out the global results!

  • The Idaho Bird Conservation Partnership (IBCP) is a cooperative of state and federal agencies, nonprofits, the private sector, and anyone interested in the science, outreach, and conservation of birds and their habitats in Idaho. This partnership also contributes to high-priority regional and continental bird objectives aligned with national and state initiatives. Participation in the partnership is open to all—feel free to attend the twice-a-year meetings!

  • The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Idaho Botanical Garden, and Golden Eagle Audubon are partners in the Sagebrush-Steppe Chapter of the Idaho Master Naturalists. The Idaho Master Naturalist Program aims to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to actively work toward stewardship of Idaho’s natural environment and has nine chapters throughout the state.