Reflections of Our Retiring President

Maeve Sowles has devoted nearly a quarter century of her life to our organization as its president, so it’s more than fitting that we devote a few pages to her as she hands off the presidential reins to her longtime colleague, Debbie Schlenoff.

In response to a few questions, these were her (lightly edited) answers.

What influences in your background do you think led up to your interest in birds/nature and to eventually taking on the role of president of our organization?

Regarding my love of the outdoors, I credit my mother for showing me birds in the backyard and buying me books that further fed my interests. She gave me a subscription to a National Geographic quarterly publication for kids that covered many types of science endeavors including rockets, human evolution, the animal kingdom, and more. They paved the way to my interests in science and nature. My mother’s family was from a rural area in northeast California, and we visited there two to three times per year. There I learned to love the high prairie, the forests, lakes, and streams where I could often wander.

Both of my parents did volunteer work in their church, and my father also was active with the YMCA as a ref at basketball games and an umpire at softball games. As a kid I would go with him and hang out watching and playing with any other kids there. Both parents held board positions at the church and also were youth counselors, so we had many youth meetings in our living room over the years. Our family made friends and had years-long bonds with people from these activities. These relationships added to our encounters with people who were from different backgrounds and neighborhoods. Growing up in Sacramento, we had ethnically diverse friends and schoolmates throughout our lives. I feel this gave me an openness to other ideas and ways of thinking. Having three older brothers allowed me to learn many lessons from their teenage mistakes and helped me develop a thick skin!

We had an Encyclopedia Brittanica in the house so I could look up topics as I had questions. This was the Google of the 1950s and 60s. I graduated from high school in 1968, and the hippie culture was strong in California at the time. For youth it was an anti-war era, with an emphasis on questioning authority and propaganda. It was a time when the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts were passed by Congress, and we thought we were making the world a better place because of this momentum.

As president, what changes have you seen in the environment, threats, conservation, awareness, etc.?

I wish I could say that environmental threats had been resolved at any point in the last 55 years, but I cannot. I do think there is much more awareness among the public, but the entities in control are not economically incentivized to make changes that would protect the environment.

How has the organization evolved through all this?

Lane County Audubon, now Coast to Cascades Bird Alliance, has always been strong in advocacy to protect the environment and educate our community on environmental issues. We have always had robust bird outings, Eugene Christmas Bird Counts, and other outreach programs to inform, educate, and help the public look at our local issues as something we care about and can help protect. Just engaging the public to attend an outing or a program might spark an interest that brings a person a new awareness of our valuable natural wonders and how they can enhance our lives and that of our children’s future. Our group has always been a respected voice in the local community regarding conservation issues.

Is there anything you’re particularly proud of?

Our volunteers are really the driving force of our group. We have many, now and in the past, who have performed their tasks with expertise, creativity, joy, and persistence. Our group’s volunteers have typically shown dedication and taken responsibility for each of their roles. I have always felt it is a huge honor knowing our volunteers and working with them over time. They are the engine that keeps things running!

Programs like Birds in the Schools (formerly Audubon in the Schools) have reached tens of thousands of school kids over its span of 20 years. Our group has engaged wonderful volunteers and made sure supplies, books, and T-shirts are available to keep this program functioning. Again, it is only with the help of dedicated volunteers that we can have an impact like this.

How long have you been president? Why have you done it for so long?

It’s been 24 long years, which was NEVER my goal or intent. I do care very much for our mission and efforts to bring outdoor education and appreciation of nature to our community. For me, this has been a driving force because every day I find comfort and inspiration in nature. I am deeply appreciative of Lane County’s beauty, and sharing that experience with others is meaningful to me. We have wonderful members, and I feel privileged to have met and known so many of them over the years. Many of the older ones who have now passed were mentors and role models who shared their commitment to create and continue our local programs. It is a worthwhile legacy, and I do hope others will want to step into these roles as we move into 2026!

What’s next for you? What will you do with your freedom?

It may come as a surprise that I am a fairly private person and hope to work on my own projects and priorities as I’m reaching the age where I see a shortening personal future timeline.

Do you plan to stay involved with CCBA?

I will serve as “Past President” for the coming year, to transfer my knowledge of the cyclical activities and help smooth the way for the new Board. Mainly I will be available to answer questions. I also plan to outline a “history” of LCAS over the past 50-plus years. I hope to remain involved in that way.

I want people to know that I followed in Dick Lamster’s footsteps when I became president. We met on my first bird outing after moving to the area and eventually married. (At our recent volunteer appreciation dinner he revealed, “She was watching the birds but I was watching her.”) Dick served as president for about 17 years in two blocks of time. He was methodical, well-organized, and had laid a solid foundation. Following his example, I used his advice and experience when needed. I will maintain the same type of role for Debbie so she can use my experience if it is wanted.

How has your long presidency changed you?

My role as president of LCAS and now CCBA has given me an identity in the community and our organization. I prefer to have our actions, programs, and commitment to our community define who we are as a group. My role was never a solo endeavor. Early on I realized that as a group we have impacts far beyond any one person’s efforts.

Any advice or wisdom?

My advice, which I remind myself of daily, is to breathe in the air, listen to the wind, rain, birds, and animals, … watch the sun’s cyclical dance with the earth, watch the stars in their huge vastness of space. Remember that you are a human related to all the other humans and creatures on our home planet, Earth. Life is a thing of precious beauty to share.