2023 Highlights & Volunteers of the Year
Plus, how wildlife spend their holidays, recent news, and more!
Our team, from left to right: Sarah Woodbury, Rose Smith, Janice Gardner, Mary Pendergast, Jens Ammon, and Sierra Hastings. Photo by Sierra.
Reflecting on this year, our team is filled with gratitude. From wetlands to neighborhoods to mountain peaks, our community covered huge swaths of ground to support wildlife conservation in the West.
Just some of the work you made possible in 2023 includes:
Mapping at-risk pollinators, supporting results that were presented at an international bumble bee conference in Chiapas, Mexico
Contributing to international shorebird conservation work spanning from Great Salt Lake to Argentina
Restoring riverscapes across Utah, working with landowners, Tribes, agencies, and others
Preparing rosy-finch conservation for a successful transition to new leadership
Impacting nationwide wildlife migration studies, with a recent New York Times article highlighting just one of 15 recent publications
Surveying for toads and habitats in alpine areas, which are among the most threatened by climate change
Biologists band a rosy-finch to learn about its habitat and movement (left, Sarah Woodbury); a beaver drags a freshly-chewed aspen to build a dam and add habitat diversity to riverscapes (center, Shauna Hart); volunteers on our Shorebird Survey count hundreds of thousands of shorebirds (right, Sarah Woodbury).
To continue this work into the future, we rely on our community. If you've already made your year-end gift, a hearty thank you from our team.
If you haven't had a chance yet and are able to, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution today. Thank you for all you do for wildlife and lands in the West.
2023 Volunteers of the Year
We're excited to share our 2023 Volunteers, Partner, and Donor of the Year! Though it's a tough decision every year, this group has gone above and beyond in support of wildlife and lands. Get to know them in our recent blog post.
How Wildlife Spend Their Holidays
You won’t find rosy-finches warming up with cocoa in the lodge! These birds embrace harsh winter winds and snow storms that come with the territory. Graphic by Sierra Hastings.
For wildlife, winter doesn’t necessarily mean slowing down and cozying up by the fire. Freezing temperatures, food scarcity, and increased visibility across stark landscapes can leave animals with limited options for survival. What’s a wild one to do?
Check out our newest blog post to learn all about the elaborate ski trips and cozy holiday plans of the wildlife from our projects.
Winter Conservation
Bull elk gather in a field. Wasatch Wildlife Watch contributes to landscape-scale projects supporting wildlife migration and well-being. This makes a critical difference for these wildlife as they face an uncertain future. Photo by Janice Gardner.
Wildlife conservation doesn't end with warm weather! If you'll be with family or friends over the break, it's a great time to get them going on our Wasatch Wildlife Watch Project's Image Analysis.
Volunteers on this project analyze our wildlife camera images taken from across the Wasatch. This help us identify wildlife and sort the data. Plus, you get a behind-the-scenes view of what local wildlife are up to!
Don't Forget...2024 Calendars!
Looking for a great gift for a wildlife lover in your life (which can be you)? Check out our 2024 calendars to enjoy wildlife photos from the Sageland community while supporting conservation. Thank you to all the photographers who participated!
In the News
Don't miss this recent opinion piece in The Salt Lake Tribune. Written by one of our Intermountain West Shorebird Survey participants, it highlights the importance of volunteering in nature.
From the article: “It feels like we’re at this tipping point, where there’s so much awareness about where the climate is that you can either become apathetic toward it, or you can really embrace it and find ways you can get involved and make a difference,” Hastings said.
Salt Lake Tribune opinion piece by Shorebird Survey participant Clarissa Casper.
A rosy-finch perches in Wyoming. Photo by volunteer and donor extraordinaire, Rob Tolley.
Thank you for loving wildlife and lands in the West!
Make your year-end gift today to support the future of conservation.
Visit the project page on our website, check out our Impact Report, or connect with us on social media (see links below) to learn more about our conservation work. Please feel free to contact us any time to share your volunteer stories, questions, or suggestions.