Commentary: Celebrating 35 years of birds
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 23, 2025
On Friday, July 17, at our 35th annual members meeting, the Vashon Bird Alliance celebrated many accomplishments and our rich history of community engagement over the years, and the effective collaborations we have with numerous other island non-profits.
The Vashon Maury Island Audubon Society (VMIAS) was founded in the fall of 1989 by Vashon’s own legendary community activist Emma Amiad, with help from Seattle’s legendary community activist Hazel Wolf. Many lasting conservation and public education efforts have grown out of the organization, such as the Low Tide Celebration, the Landmark Trees program, Chautauqua’s Fourth Grade Birding program, Vashon Wildlife Inventory Project and the Alliance for Tompotika Conservation.
So too has the organization spurred butterfly and dragonfly annual counts, Matsuda Farm nest boxes, Purple martin nest boxes, the Beach Naturalists program, the beautiful bird mural on the wall at Vashon Center for the Arts, recycling at the post office, years of highway road clean up, land conservation at Mileta Creek and Christensen Pond, ongoing habitat restoration efforts in Paradise Valley, and 35 years of primarily bird-focused field trips, educational classes, and programs.
As many of us know, our founding president Emma Amiad was also instrumental in founding the Vashon Maury Island Land Trust, the Vashon Parks Department, the Vashon Havurah, Vashon Household, and the Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness.
In a statement to the members of the Bird Alliance, Emma wrote:
“Susan and I are sorry that we can’t join you in this celebration of Vashon’s amazing Bird Alliance, formerly Audubon chapter. It’s been (almost) 36 years since a small group of birders and nature lovers formed a chapter of the Audubon Society, now called Vashon Bird Alliance.”
“It was my privilege to be its first president and one of the activists who formed the organization. In these dark days of political turmoil and threats to our environment, it’s good to remember that communities can come together to celebrate and protect our fragile planet. That’s a part of the job of all of us who care deeply about the earth and the creatures who inhabit it.”
“You have been successful for all these years by caring deeply for the earth, especially that small part of it called Vashon Island, and its birds and animals. Celebrating the amazing diversity of bird species on Vashon has brought joy to me and I’m sure to all of you over the years. I am so proud of you and look forward to many years of news of this, a birders paradise. Know that you are always in my thoughts and that I cherish many wonderful memories of our years together.”
In the 35-plus years since the founding of the Vashon Bird Alliance, we have enjoyed the leadership of 12 past presidents. Every one of these individuals exhibited immense grit, organization, persistence, creativity and drive in furthering the organizational mission — which is is to enjoy, learn about, and preserve birds and the diverse natural habitats of Vashon Island and beyond.
Laura Bienen is the secretary of the Vashon Bird Alliance.
