2025 Annual Meeting & Student Presentations
Annual Meeting for Members
Wednesday, May 21 @ 6:30pm (refreshments @ 6pm)
Katonah Village Library
The Annual Meeting for members begins at 6:30pm (refreshments at 6:00pm). After a brief year-end review presented by Board President John Hannan, our Board elections will take place. Two candidates are running for open board positions along with two current board members who are up for reelection. Bedford Audubon members in good standing are eligible to vote in the election. If you are a current member and can’t attend the Annual Meeting virtually, you can vote by proxy. Please CLICK HERE to vote and submit your proxy securely online.
Meet the New Candidates
Debbie Burke
Debbie has been a very active member of Bedford Audubon for the past four years. She has been passionate about Bedford Audubon programs, going on every walk, field trip, lecture, and workshop possible. She looks forward to now deepening her involvement with Bedford Audubon at the governance level.
John Askildsen
John first became a Bedford Audubon member in 1975 and has been active as a volunteer, donor and/or member ever since. He has served several terms as a Bedford Audubon Board member, including three terms as President, and is currently serving on the Bedford Audubon Habitat Management Task Force since 2024.
Board Members Up For Reelection
Suzanne Klein
Suzanne is currently on our board and serves as the Chair of the Development Committee. During the course of her first term, she served as Interim Treasurer and was part of the 2024 Strategic Planning Committee. She is running for her second three-year term on the board.
Steve Ricker
Steve is a current board member and serves as the Chair of the Properties Committee and Garden Committee. He leads our Habitat Renewal Days and has been instrumental in improving the habitat around Bylane Farm. He is running for his third three-year term on the board.
Public Lecture
Wednesday, May 29 @ 7:00pm
(Directly following the Annual Meeting)
Regeneron WESEF Award-winning Students
Reese Caparelli & Mikinley Scherpf
Reese and Mikinley, winners of the Bedford Audubon Award at the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF), will present their science research projects at this very special event. Bedford Audubon’s awards go to scholars whose research projects best exemplify our mission and purpose “to promote conservation and protection of wildlife through education, advocacy, nature study, and/or ornithology.”
Reese Caparelli
Pitch Perfect: Song Sparrow (Melospiza Melodia) Adjust the Frequency of Their Song in Response to Anthropogenic Noise
For her project, second time Bedford Audubon award winner Reese Caparelli updated and expanded on her examination of the detrimental effects of anthropogenic noise on bird communication. Ms. Caparelli’s study documented compensatory changes in the frequency bandwidth and length of Song Sparrow songs when exposed to noise pollution. Her findings shed light on the impact of noise pollution on sparrow communication and vocal plasticity, providing a greater understanding of avian responses to man-made noise. Additionally, her evidence highlights how imperative it is that we mitigate and manage noise pollution to protect birds and their ecosystems.
Mikinley Scherpf
Impact of Human Proximity and Incubation Period on Reproductive Outcomes in Eastern Bluebirds: An Analysis of Hatch and Fledge Rates
For her project, Mikinley Scherpf examined the relationship between the proximity of Eastern Bluebird and Tree Swallow nests to human development and their breeding success, including hatch rates, fledge rates, and number of fledglings. Ms. Sherpf measured the distance to human areas and collected data on incubation times and fledgling numbers during the 2023-2024 breeding seasons. Her correlation analysis suggests that both species may be more adaptable to human environments than previously thought, and highlights the need for further research on what truly affects their reproductive outcomes in these “mixed use” areas.
Have questions? Contact us: info@bedfordaudubon.org
