The Audubon Community Nature Center 2024 Birdathon kicks off today.
Each year, teams of birders raise money to fund the $500 Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship. This year’s goal is to raise $3,000 to fund the scholarship and to go toward a new onsite medical room so Audubon’s animal ambassadors can get more of the care they need onsite.
Teams can sign up to participate between April 26 and Sunday, May 5 at Go.RallyUp.com/ACNCBirdathon24
Birders with limited experience can visit the website or contact Audubon Public Engagement Specialist Jeff Tome at jtome@auduboncnc.org to join or form a Birding Team. New birders are always welcome, and you can be added to a team with “seasoned” birders who are happy to bring you up to speed.
This year’s Top Birders will receive special recognition through ACNC’s e-newsletter. There is no fee to participate.
If you aren’t a birder, you can visit the website and support your favorite team and/or the cause. Donors can contribute based on the number of birds seen or by making a flat contribution.
The Ryan Exline Memorial fund is a long-time beneficiary of the Birdathon. Exline was an integral part of the Audubon family for many years until he was tragically killed in an auto accident during his junior year at Duke University. Each year this fund, created in his memory, provides a $500 scholarship to a college-bound high school student or a college student who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in an environmental field.
If you are a high school or Jamestown Community College student from Chautauqua, Cattaraugus or Warren counties who plans to pursue a degree in the natural sciences, you can find a scholarship application at AudubonCNC.org/Scholarships. The application deadline is June 22, 2024.
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