Welcome to GMAS’s New President
By Lucie Lehmann
Green Mountain Audubon Society’s incoming president, Pat Phillips, is a lifelong naturalist and no stranger to anyone who has gone on one of its popular outings. In rain, sunshine, and even in the snow, for the past several years it’s been Pat who has greeted participants with a warm smile, extra sets of binoculars, and a brief introduction that stresses that birders of all levels are welcome. “I love the interaction with both expert and novice birders on the outings, sharing the beauty of birds,” he says enthusiastically.
Now Pat will add to his outing duties, assuming GMAS’s presidency at a time when the organization is working hard, in his words, “to continue and strengthen efforts to understand the challenges faced by wildlife and plants and the threats that lie in wait for us, but also give people the pathway by which they might be able to effect changes.”
Pat grew up outside of New York City and spent as much time in nature as he could, including at the beach where it was initially fish, rather than birds, that often caught his attention. He came to Vermont to study biology at UVM, did graduate work on migrating fish at the University of Rhode Island and with NOAA, took ornithology classes, and ultimately earned a Master’s degree in Education.
Retired for six years Pat, 68, was a longtime high school science educator and, eventually, an assistant principal and acting principal, all here in Vermont. He still has a teacher’s gift for imparting knowledge to anyone lucky enough to meet him. As GMAS’s new leader, he is especially focused on “reaching out to younger folks in a way that will effectively engage them.” To that end, he’s eager to use more social media, incorporate younger presenters in GMAS programs, and continue building its growing relationship with the UVM birding club, for which GMAS hosted an outing earlier this year.
Because of his background, Pat is especially attuned to conservation issues. He believes that “the most important work we do is provide grants to schools for environmentally related projects; fund small conservation projects; and fund scholarships and grants for the next generation to study at camps and avail themselves of other opportunities.”
In the six years since joining the board, Pat has also been an advocate for making GMAS’s board more collaborative and reflective of the demographics of our area, as well as broadening the offerings of programs and outings. All of it, he stresses, is in the name of sharing his love and appreciation of nature with others. “If we can help people see the beauty of the diversity of nature, I would hope it would extend to a diverse array of people. If people understand that, they would treat one another better.”
Pat doesn’t shy away from looking at “the decimation of birds and insect species’ decline.” In fact, it’s a great deal of what motivated him to take on his new role. Still, he is cautiously optimistic that there is much that can be done to educate people about the environment and climate in ways that will spur them to action. Ever the teacher, he is eager to get started doing just that.