A Legacy Rooted in Conservation and Connection

Mike Gies spent most of his life in Western Washington, but it was the wide-open landscapes of Jap Washington that really captured his coronary heart. Spending time within the area with a longtime birding buddy and coworker of 40 years, Mike found a deep love for birdwatching amid the shrub-steppe’s hotter local weather and expansive horizons. Collectively they explored quite a few corners of the area—figuring out birds alongside quiet trails and savoring moments of peace and connection in nature.

These shared experiences grew to become cherished reminiscences and finally impressed Mike to make beneficiant bequests to Audubon Washington and North Central Washington Audubon Society (NCWAS). He hoped that the particular locations he grew to like will stay protected, and that conservation, training, and analysis will proceed so future generations can expertise the identical sense of surprise and belonging he discovered there.

In Washington state, Audubon works to guard the sagebrush shrub steppe ecosystem in central and jap Washington, the coastal estuaries of Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, and seeks to handle local weather change, the first menace to birds immediately. Along with our community of 25 Washington Audubon chapters, together with NCWAS, we preserve and restore pure ecosystems for the good thing about humanity and the earth’s organic range.

Mike’s present will open new alternatives for NCWAS to develop applications, outreach, and academic efforts all through North Central Washington. Guided by devoted native volunteers, NCWAS works to make sure that birds and their habitats are identified, valued, and guarded. His present may even assist Audubon Washington develop Audubon Conservation Ranching on the Columbia Plateau.

We’re deeply grateful for his generosity and honored to steward his legacy—one that may encourage a rising, lasting appreciation for the birds and landscapes that depend upon these collective efforts.

If you’re not already a member of Audubon’s Grinnell Legacy Society, you may be part of this group of philanthropic leaders by contacting us at 212-979-3033 or plannedgifts@audubon.org to begin a no-obligation dialog.