Susan Ballinger
From nominator, Jane Zanol:
Susan Ballinger has been volunteering for Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest for many, many years. She is a committed volunteer who has filled many roles for Bird Fest. Every year she leads popular trips for Bird Fest, in a personal capacity and in her role as a Conservation Fellow for CDLT. During her years on the Audubon Bird Fest committee, she proposed and developed the Pre-Festival trips and workshops to amplify the message of Bird Fest locally and to promote the festival with new people. She has also consistently developed new trips and events every year for Bird Fest. She is adamant about Bird Fest collaborating with international organizations to magnify our conservation message, such as World Migratory Bird Day and Environment for the Americas. She has been an advocate for attracting younger people and new people in the Wenatchee Valley to the festival, thus insuring its longevity. She has mentored many, many people who volunteer for Bird Fest. Her popular Wenatchee Naturalist class continues to be a catalyst for environmental education and understanding in the Valley; many of the graduates of this class volunteer for Bird Fest, join NCW Audubon, and join WRI.
Susan's generosity of spirit and her commitment to conservation make her an ideal leader and volunteer. We are very fortunate to have her help us every year. This year her daughter is being married the week following Bird Fest, and yet you will still see her most days as a trip leader or workshop leader, including during the Pre-Festival. I want to thank Susan for her invaluable contributions to Bird Fest.
