President’s Spring Report
Spring has arrived, I think, but we certainly can't draw that conclusion if we use the weather as the determining factor. We know spring has arrived for sure when we hear about early sightings of the beautiful mountain bluebird. Some of those early sightings were in mid to late March this year. Most of our feathered friends arrive to begin their nesting process in April and early May.
This is the time of the year when we, as trail monitors, get our first look at our trails to see how the nest boxes fared over winter. With a sense of expectancy of nesting bluebirds to come, we clean out, repair or move boxes as needed for our eager guests. Once again, I will host a half-day orientation session on my trail on a private farm in west Lethbridge on Saturday, June 1. This is open to anyone interested in having a trail or who simply wants to experience an active bluebird trail. Please connect with our website at bluebirdtrails.org to register. I limit the group to 12 but will take more groups if interest demands.
We had our 2023 AGM on April 6 and it was indeed a very special one. In addition to our usual business, we set aside time to celebrate our 50th anniversary as the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society in southern Alberta. We were very excited to have the foremost bluebird expert in Alberta, gifted nature author and photographer Myrna Pearman, speak to our group. How appropriate for us to have Myrna, because she has done so much over the last 50 years to support and grow interest in the mountain bluebird and nature in general in Alberta and beyond.
There were 35 people at our AGM with another eight connected by Zoom. Since it was our 50th anniversary, we also wanted to acknowledge and recognize past executive members who helped lay a foundation for the society. In attendance were Ken Moore, past president and treasurer; Gerry Kyllo, past trail master and director; and via Zoom Jan Warren, past secretary and director. I also want to acknowledge past director and builder Les Sarsfield, who sadly passed away April 15 at the age of 93.
At our meeting, we passed our updated bylaws. Thanks to Connie Chaplin and Rick Williams for heading up that project. It is a job well done. Special shout out also goes to Trail Master Steven Shumborski. He does so much to re-establish and give new life to abandoned trails as well as maintain existing trails.
Also a special thank you to our Webmaster and vice-president Curtis Goodman, who went above and beyond during this anniversary year to prepare a history of our society. Thank you, Curtis, for your expertise in promotion and media to ensure our 50th anniversary was a success. The history of the MBTCS can be found on our website at bluebirdtrails.org/history
A special thank you to all current executive members for your valued contributions to ensure the society thrives for the next 50 years and thanks again to all Trail Monitors for your faithful commitment to ensure the mountain bluebird is with us for years to come.
