Mary Kimberly presented with GEorgia Audubon's Scottie johnson Spirit Award

Mary Kimberly at Brasstown Bald. Photo by Dottie Head.

Georgia Audubon was delighted to present long-time volunteer Mary Kimberly with the 2022 Scottie Johnson Spirit Award at the Holiday Party and Annual Meeting on Sunday, December 4. 

Mary has been a longtime member and volunteer for Georgia Audubon. She's been involved with monitoring Project Safe Flight routes since the beginning of that program in 2015, waking up pre-dawn to begin her trek looking for birds that have collided with buildings or that she can deliver for rehabilitation. Mary is also a former board member for Atlanta (now Georgia) Audubon. She also previously served as the volunteer field trip coordinator before those duties were taken on by staff. She and her husband, Gavin, continue to lead frequent field trips at Murphy Candler Park and other Atlanta hotspots, and her relationships with field trip leaders were instrumental in helping us organize the very first Bird Fest back in 2016. In addition to her volunteer work with Georgia Audubon, Mary assists other bird conservation-related causes such as volunteering at the bird-banding stations at Jekyll Island and at Panola Mountain State Park.
​
About the Scottie Johnson Spirit Award

In 2018, Georgia Audubon lost an incredibly dedicated volunteer and dear friend,  Eleanor Scott Johnson. "Scottie", as her family and friends called her, was an avid birder and long-time volunteer for Georgia Audubon. There wasn’t a task that Scottie wasn’t up for, whether that was giving educational presentations, walking a Project Safe Flight route, certifying wildlife sanctuaries, or writing the Ask Chippy column. Scottie always raised her hand to help us out. She was a nurse, a mother, a Master Birder, and a wonderful human being with an amazing spirit. Although we lost Scottie to cancer in 2018, we continue to celebrate her spirit, kindness, and perseverance annually by honoring an outstanding volunteer with the Scottie Johnson Spirit Award. Previous award winners include Anne McCallum (2019), Charles Loeb (2020), and Steve Phenicie (2021).

Georgia Audubon commissioned a watercolor painting of a Red-headed Woodpecker by Amanda Woomer, Georgia Audubon Board Member, that will be presented to Mary in recognition of her service to Georgia Audubon.

---