By Jeff Osmundson

Greetings members and friends of Skagit Audubon,

Skagit Audubon Society is pleased to announce that Tim Manns has been awarded the Helen Engle Volunteer of the Year Award.  Tim’s service has spanned many years, benefiting birds and other wildlife, as well as supporting the local Skagit Audubon Chapter and other regional and national organizations.  He joined Skagit Audubon Society (SAS) in 2006 and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2007 as Field Trip Chair.  Tim has served an unprecedented four years as President of SAS.  Since 2013 he has served as Conservation Chair and as a member of several other SAS committees.

This award is named after and inspired by Helen Engle who was a conservationist and activist that co-founded several organizations including the Tahoma Audubon Society.  She served on the board of the National Audubon Society and was awarded a lifetime achievement award by them in 2013.  This award is presented by Washington Audubon only once a year and recognizes a volunteer who has contributed outstanding service to our Audubon cause, at the chapter, state, regional, or flyway level.  Out of the 25 Chapters in Washington, only one person is recognized each year.

Tim also contributes service as a volunteer monitor conducting surveys for organizations such as COASST (Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team), at Northern State Recreation Area for the Upper Skagit Tribe, a butterfly monitoring project for the National Park Service and Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS), among others.  For many years Tim has coordinated and participated in the annual Christmas Bird Count.  In his spare time, he also leads field trips for the Skagit Audubon Society. 

Tim is also a volunteer contributor to several other organizations including the Skagit Land Trust, past board member of the Padilla Bay Foundation and 15 years at Community Action tutoring students in English as a second language.  He has the unique ability to contribute to all of these organizations and make each one just a little bit better.

Thanks, and happy birding.  Be safe, wear your mask, get vaccinated.

Jeff Osmundson, President