Introducing our new Executive Director

Introducing our new Executive Director

ByGGBA

Golden Gate Bird Alliance is excited to announce the hire of Cindy Margulis as our new Executive Director.

Margulis, a longtime GGBA member and volunteer, brings a powerful combination of experience as a birder, wildlife educator, fundraiser, business strategist, and marketing specialist.  Her professional experience spans both the business and non-profit sectors, and she has served as a volunteer for numerous conservation organizations including International Bird Rescue, Oakland Zoo, San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, and East Bay Regional Park District.

“Cindy is going to be a fantastic leader of GGBA,” said GGBA Board President Laura Gobbi. “Her passion for birds, success with building communities, and business expertise will be huge assets to the organization, especially as we plan for our 100th anniversary in 2017. The board is thrilled and can’t wait to begin working with her!”

“I am honored to lead this organization that connects people of all ages to birds, wildlife, and ecosystems,” said Cindy Margulis. “Since I am perpetually inspired by the birds that grace our environment — and I enjoy collaborating with people who step up to protect wild birds — so this role certainly feels like the ideal one for me.”

Cindy Margulis (in blue jacket) discussing Snowy Plover protection with East Bay Regional Parks officials and other GGBA volunteers. / Photo by Ilana DeBareCindy Margulis (in blue jacket) discussing Snowy Plover protection with East Bay Regional Parks officials and other GGBA volunteers. / Photo by Ilana DeBare

Ms. Margulis has most recently worked for non-profit organizations, including Destiny Arts Center in Oakland and Goodwill Industries of the Greater East Bay.  In the private sector, she has worked as a strategic business development leader and marketing strategist in a range of businesses.

In her role as a Golden Gate Bird Alliance volunteer, Ms. Margulis has helped advocate for protection of endangered California Least Terns at Alameda, as part of GGBA’ Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Reserve committee. She has served as a Tern Watch monitor, and this year took the lead in seeking protective measures for Western Snowy Plovers that were roosting on the Alameda shoreline. She will succeed former GGBA Executive Director Mike Lynes, who recently left to become Director of Policy for Audubon California.

GGBA members will have many chances to meet Cindy in upcoming months, starting this week at the Birdathon Awards Celebration on Sunday May 18.

Founded in 1917, Golden Gate Bird Alliance serves over 5,000 members and supporters in San Francisco and East Bay communities including Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Orinda and Richmond. Its mission is to share the wonder of birds, and mobilize people to protect Bay Area birds and their habitat.…

2014 GGBA Board Election — Vote online or in person

2014 GGBA Board Election — Vote online or in person

ByGGBA

We need your vote! If you’re a member of Golden Gate Bird Alliance, please vote in our 2014 election for our Board of Directors.

Because of the way board terms are staggered, there is only one member up for renewal this year, Board President Laura Gobbi. But we still need your vote to ensure that the board genuinely represents our membership.

Fill out the form below to vote online. You can also vote in person at the Birdathon dinner on May 18 or at our Speaker Series events on May 15 or June 19. Or vote at the GGBA office at 2530 San Pablo Avenue (at the corner of Blake) in Berkeley during our office hours.

You must be a member in good standing of GGBA in order to vote. Ballots must be received by June 30, 2014.

About the Candidate

Laura Gobbi is the Senior Director of Alumnae Relations at Mills College, where she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of volunteer outreach and engagement. After spending ten years as an art history instructor and museum scientist at U.C. Berkeley, she transitioned to advancement in 2003and became Executive Director of the Alumni Association at Oberlin College. Laura is a graduate of GGBA’ Master Birder Program, and has taken numerous classes through GGBA, including Cornell’s Home Study Course in Bird Biology. She has volunteered with GGBA as a field trip leader and docent. Laura received a B.A. in art history and flute performance from Oberlin College and Master’s in medieval art from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. She joined the board in 2013 and currently serves as Board President.…

PB&J Birders event for kids – May 4

PB&J Birders event for kids – May 4

ByGGBA

Join us on Sunday morning May 4th from 10 a..m. until noon for a PB&J Birders family bird walk at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park!

This easy walk  will bring little birders and their parents/guardians along the lake looking for ducks, Great Blue Herons, and more! The walk is on mostly level ground along a developed and paved pathway. Most of the walk is wheelchair accessible.

Meet: In parking lot behind Boathouse, 50 Stow Lake Dr E, San Francisco, CA 94118

Bring:  Snacks, water, layers of clothes, snacks and binoculars or scopes if you have them. We will also have quality binoculars and field guides available, along with crayons and coloring projects.
This event is free and open to families with kids of all ages.
P.S. Did you know there is now a nest cam monitoring the Great Blue Heron nest at Stow Lake?
Watch the heron family on your computer, then come join us on our Stow Lake walk! Nest cam at
http://www.sfnature.org/LiveEx/live.html – thanks to S.F. Nature Education for setting up the cam!

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Sign up for a Birdathon trip!

Sign up for a Birdathon trip!

ByGGBA

April is more than half over, but we still have some openings on great Birdathon trips!  You’re invited to join us on:

Las Gallinas Ponds in Marin (Sunday morning April 20)

Altamont Pass – Wind Power & Birds (Saturday April 26)

San Francisco & the Peninsula (Saturday April 26)

Visit our Birdathon Trips web page for details and registration. Then create your personal fundraising page. It’s like a walkathon where you solicit donations from friends — only instead of just walking you get to enjoy the beauty of birds!

Everyone who raises $100 or more gets a free Birdathon t-shirt with our Burrowing Owl logo.

There are awards for most birds sighted in six or 24 hours, best bird, and for top fundraisers. Mark your calendar for the Birdathon Awards Celebration on Sunday May 18

Out of town during April? You can still be part of the fun by sponsoring a Birdathon participant!

And you can buy a Birdathon t-shirt weigh our Burrowing owl logo even if you don’t go on a trip. Click here to order one directly from us for $20 plus postage. Or if you’d prefer an organic cotton version, you can order one for $27 from Spreadshirt. 

Birdathon t-shirt Birdathon t-shirt…
GGBA at the BioBlitz

GGBA at the BioBlitz

ByGGBA

Golden Gate Bird Alliance participated in the Golden Gate National Parks BioBlitz on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March, 29, 2014.

A BioBlitz is a 24-hour inventory of as many species of plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms as can be found within a defined area, and the Golden Gate National Parks is blessed with an incredible diversity of species.

Along with other local conservation groups, GGBA members led volunteers in an inventory of birds and other species during the 24-hour window. Final numbers from the count are currently being tabulated by scientists.

Folding origami Passenger Pigeons / Photo by Noreen WeedenFolding origami Passenger Pigeons / Photo by Noreen Weeden GGBA educators Anthony DeCicco and Marissa Ortega-Welch / Photo by Noreen WeedenGGBA educators Anthony DeCicco and Marissa Ortega-Welch / Photo by Noreen Weeden Some of the 1,700 young visitors / Photo by Noreen WeedenSome of the 1,700 young visitors / Photo by Noreen Weeden

We also led a hands-on educational project in the BioBlitz Exhibition Hall — folding an origami Passenger Pigeon to recognize the 100-year anniversary of this species’ passing, while learning about ways to help our locally threatened and endangered bird species.  

Some 1,700 children from schools participated on Friday, while hundreds of individuals and families attended on Saturday.  That’s a lot of origami pigeons!

A huge thank-you to BioBlitz sponsors National Park Service, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, National Geographic, and Presidio Trust; to Andrew Stern from the Lost Bird Project, which created the origami program; and to Golden Gate Bird Alliance volunteers Kent Anderson, Jeannette Nichols, Cameron Burns, and Eddie Bartley.  

Origami Passenger Pigeon / Photo by Noreen WeedenOrigami Passenger Pigeon / Photo by Noreen Weeden…

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