Press release from Audubon North Carolina:
Tom Tribble, President of the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society in Asheville, was honored with Audubon North Carolina’s 2018 “Volunteer of the Year” Award on Sept. 8 at their 2018 Summit “Migration in the Mountains.” The Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes an exceptional Audubon volunteer for their outstanding effort in support of the state office, staff, local chapters and Audubon’s conservation goals.
A dedicated birder and Audubon member since 1975, Tom is known to friends as “the Ambassador of Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary” because he has spent so much time facilitating bird walks for groups ranging from local Boy Scouts to faith groups and garden clubs. Tom’s work extends throughout the greater community: currently, Elisha Mitchell Audubon is partnering with local St. Eugene’s Catholic Church to add 300 bird-friendly native plants to their Friendship Garden or “Jardin de la Amistad.”
“We are so fortunate to have volunteers like Tom Tribble advocating for birds in western North Carolina,” said Andrew Hutson, Executive Director of Audubon North Carolina. “His projects create a springboard for engaging churches, schools, and local businesses to build an ever-more-effective network from the mountains to the coast.”
“I was incredibly honored and humbled to receive this award,” Tribble said. “As I told many of my friends, none of us who love birds and work to protect them do so for the recognition. But as several of our younger UNC Asheville student-chapter members came up to congratulate me, I realized that my work may motivate them to a lifetime devotion to birds, and for that I am most thankful.”
Tom’s work in bird conservation, stretched across parts of six counties in western North Carolina, has been instrumental in building an ever-more-effective Audubon network in the Blue Ridge Mountain region.
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