The modern 9-5 schedule creates the illusion that each day of the year should have basically the same activities, besides weekends and holidays. Birds know that’s nonsense. Would a Northern Cardinal try to nest in January? Would a Black Tern fly south in the middle of May? Birds have their seasons straight: summer is for breeding, spring and fall for travel, and winter for making do, often far to the south. Each part of the year has its special purpose for birds — and, I would argue, for people. There are some widely recognized ones: New Year’s resolutions, spring cleaning, and summer breaks, to name a few. Among the people I know, I’ve noticed that, as spring turns to summer, there’s a surge of enthusiasm in picking up new projects and trying new things, as if the return of warm weather brings everyone a little glimpse of optimism despite all the challenges we face. Maybe we’re not so unlike birds after all.

Here at ASO this summer, we welcome new members and officers to our board. It’s a wonderful thing when enthusiasm leads someone to offer their time and skills to us, and we’re honored to have them join us. We also celebrate the contributions of long-serving volunteers, board members, and officers who have decided to step back this year or who have completed their terms. We rely on volunteers who contribute as long as it feels right, and we wish them the best when they have to go. We are grateful for any form of help people can offer, and rely on the diverse range of skills and experiences found among our chapter members.

We thank Virginia Stauffer, who is retiring from the board after outstanding contributions to the Meadowlark newsletter, the Student Art Show and Contest, the EZ-Does-It Birding series, and much more. Virginia will continue to chair our Student Art Contest and Show after she steps off the board. We thank Kyle Finley, who has completed two terms on the board. Kyle has served as our chapter liaison to the UNO Conservation Society, our official student chapter. Kyle has been a dedicated ASO volunteer, especially for the bird seed sales, our biggest fundraiser. And we thank Roger Carroll, who is stepping away from the board after chairing our Habitat committee, helping kick-start our Chimney Swift tower project, and being a committed volunteer to the bird seed sales. Thanks to Virginia, Kyle, Roger, and everyone else who has contributed to ASO and keep us in motion!

This year, we want to especially thank Duane & Kathy Schwery, who have been chosen by the board for the 2026 ASO Service Award. These two-long serving volunteers have contributed to ASO in many ways over several decades, but we want to celebrate them in particular for serving as co-chairs of the Membership Committee for a remarkable 26 years. This means they kept track of our thousands of members, coordinating our roster with the National Audubon Society, updating addresses to make sure everyone received their newsletter, and sending renewal reminders. We are so grateful to Duane and Kathy for stepping up to ensure that our members stayed connected to ASO, a task that is fundamental to ASO’s basic existence. While I could never expect someone to devote 26 years to ASO in this way, we can at least marvel at the accomplishment and be grateful that helpers such as the Schwerys are out there, humbly working away to make sure our community stays together. Thank you, Duane and Kathy! You’re an example to us all.