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

Click the staff links below or visit our Contact page to email the board or staff.

Staff

Cynthia Wallesz: Executive Director

Jordan Bates: Bird Window Collision Prevention Lead

Danae Fails: Stewardship Coordinator

Liz Paul: Program Coordinator

Danae, Cynthia and Liz

Board of Directors

Patti Guicheteau: President

Dan Salemi: Immediate Past-President

Louisa Evers: Vice-President; Education Committee Chair and Field Trip Leader

John White: Treasurer, Finance Chair

Sam Bellis: Secretary; Field Trip Leader

Shannan Brimmer: At-large; Field Trip Leader and Presenter

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

Jo Anne Lafferty: At-large; Field Trip Leader

Sierra Laverty: At-large; Development Chair

Jon Mathews: At-large; Presenter, Finance Committee

Eileen Stachowski: At-large

Abby Urbanek: At-large, Advocacy Committee

Additional Leadership

Danette Henderson: Coffee Club Coordinator

Tricia Matthews: Native Plant Nursery Manager

 

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.