Officer Nominations for 2013 Elections

- by Linda Orkin

At our Annual Members Meeting in October, as stipulated in the club bylaws, we will be voting for club officers and one Director. The Nominating Committee (Linda Orkin, Susan Danskin, and Bob McGuire) is presenting the following slate of officer nominees as it stands right now. If you are a member of the Cayuga Bird Club, be prepared to vote at our October meeting. Please give some serious thought to volunteering yourself. If you wish to know more about the duties associated with these positions or are interested in placing your name on the slate, please get in touch with Linda Orkin by September 15. Nominations also will be accepted from the floor at the October meeting. If you plan to nominate someone, you must be sure that person wishes to be nominated!

Recording Secretary: Becky Hansen Becky recently moved to Ithaca after nearly 40 years in the NYC area, specifically to take advantage of the opportunities here to learn more about birds. She enjoys participating in the bird club meetings, field trips, the Christmas bird count, and going to Monday Night Seminars. She is currently also a docent leading weekend bird walks at the Lab of Ornithology. She greatly enjoyed the Spring Field Ornithology class last year. Becky’s interest in birding extends beyond the US. Particular thrills include trips to Kenya and Tanzania and to PNG, when her daughter was able to join her. She is happy to have the chance to be more involved with the Cayuga Bird Club. 

Corresponding Secretary: Colleen Richards 

Colleen is willing to continue as corresponding secretary, working closely with our club president and treasurer to assure that all donations, volunteer activities, etc. are properly acknowledged. She corresponds with our program speakers each month to assure they have all they need for their engagement, and she organizes the club dinner which honors the speaker and encourages member interaction.

Director: Donna Scott 

An active member of the Cayuga Bird Club, Donna is co-chair, with Linda Orkin, of the CBC committee that is hosting the New York State Ornithological Association’s Annual Meeting in fall 2014. Donna also helps distribute CBC’s two books to local vendors.

Donna has been birding for more than 40 years, and has taken the Spring Field Ornithology (SFO) course two times. She has participated in the CBC’s Christmas count for over 10 years and has been going to Lab of O. seminars for years. Donna joined Cayuga Bird Club four years ago; her birding ventures include field trips with SFO and the CBC, birding during her many travels, and using the CBC’s guide book to go to new sites in the Cayuga Basin.

 President: Paul Anderson 

Paul Anderson got hooked on birding when he took the Lab of O’s Spring Field Ornithology course five years ago and has been a member of the club since then. He contributed photos to Birding in the Cayuga Lake Basin, and last year he became the club webmaster and overhauled the website. Paul chaired the Field Trip Committee this past year and plans to work closely with the other officers during this upcoming term. Paul is also a docent for the Lab of Ornithology, leading beginner bird walks there on weekends, and has been a field trip leader for the club on many occasions.

 Vice President: Linda Orkin 

Linda, our current president, has been active in the birding community for many years. In addition to all of the work she has done over the past two years as President of the Cayuga Bird Club, she is a docent for the outreach program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and has led and coordinated weekend bird walks at Sapsucker Woods for the past five years. She has coordinated the Ithaca Christmas Bird Count for the last four years and looks forward to offering her services as vice president in any way possible. She will be organizing field trips for the 2013/2014 season.

Treasurer: Susan Danskin 

Susan has been club treasurer since October 2009, after stepping down from her position as club president. She is looking forward to continuing her work. She has been a club member for a number of years, working on various committees and leading many field trips.