The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society (SCVAS) was founded in 1925, and with over 1,000 members, is one of the largest National Audubon Society chapters in California. Our programs and conservation activities are supported by our generous members and donors. SCVAS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your dues and donations are fully tax-deductible.

Our Mission

The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society promotes the enjoyment, understanding, and protection of birds and other wildlife by engaging people of all ages in birding, education, and conservation.

To accomplish this mission we...

• Promote scientifically sound conservation strategies for the protection of native ecosystems and demonstrate the value of conservation to the community.

• Educate our diverse community about the benefits of preserving and enjoying nature, focusing on youth education programs, public outreach, and field trips.

• Support research into maintaining, restoring, and understanding native ecosystems, particularly those of birds.

• Collaborate with the National Audubon Society, Audubon-California, Audubon Chapters, and other organizations to accomplish our common goals.

Our Bylaws

Our Bylaws were last updated in 2018 to make them consistent with best practices for non-profit organizations.

Click here to read the revised Bylaws of Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society

Our Yearly Accomplishments

We have a long list of yearly accomplishments made possible by our many generous supporters and volunteers. Help us continue this trend through the coming years by donating to our Environmental Advocacy Campaign and Annual Appeal!

Staff

Matthew Dodder, Executive Director, has been passionate about birds since he was 14 years old. Before joining SCVAS he worked as a senior designer at the premier graphic design and marketing agency in the Bay Area, helping Silicon Valley companies achieve their outreach goals through visually arresting designs and strategic campaigns. He has taught a popular birding class at the Palo Alto Adult School since 1999, sharing his love and curiosity about birds with scores of students. As ED he brings to SCVAS a varied skill set and an unapologetic concern for the welfare of our avifauna. At home with his wife Kelly, Matthew adores laughing, cooking, and drawing birds. His avian artwork, from initial sketches to finished portraits, can be found on his blog: https://neornithes.wordpress.com. Contact Matthew at (408) 252-3748 or director@scvas.org. 

April Austin, Office Manager, graduated from Golden Gate University with a B.S. in Information Science. Prior to joining SCVAS, April worked in high tech and higher education, managing business application software projects in IT. April enjoys learning from her co-workers who share her love of nature. She is an active hiker who frequents local baylands, parks and open space preserves, and loves spending time in her own bird-friendly backyard. Contact April at (408) 252-3747 or scvas@scvas.org.

Shani Kleinhaus, Environmental Advocate, works to protect and promote wildlife habitats and to include avian conservation in local development plans. She represents the Chapter before local governments and decision makers, addressing issues of land use, birds, wildlife habitat, and environmental impacts. Shani (pronounced shaa-knee) works closely with our Environmental Action Committee and volunteers on a plethora of conservation issues throughout Santa Clara County and its cities. Shani earned her Ph.D. in Ecology from UC Davis and has contributed to conservation research, advocacy and planning in a variety of ecosystems in the US and overseas. To join our group of advocates or to alert us to ecological concerns and opportunities in your community, contact Shani at advocate@scvas.org.

Carolyn Knight, Education & Outreach Manager, graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology. Prior to joining SCVAS she worked with Wood Ducks in the Central Valley, where she officially became a bird nerd. Carolyn is excited to continue introducing students to local ecology and conservation. In addition to her education and outreach duties, Carolyn also runs our annual Spring Birdathon fundraiser. Contact Carolyn at programs@scvas.org for general questions, or scvasbirdathon@gmail.com for Birdathon inquiries.

Miya Kaiser, Summer Intern, a current environmental science major at UC Davis where she is working towards expanding her horizons with wildlife conservation. Hoping to start a career in advocacy in the future, Miya is learning important skills in environmental impact assessment, conservation policy, and biodiversity preservation. Growing up in Los Angeles County, an area with pervasive light pollution, Miya focuses on the ecological effects of light pollution, specifically issues concerning light pollution and wildlife response.

Board of Directors

The SCVAS Board of Directors is the governing body for SCVAS. Always open to new ideas and suggestions from members, we work hard to uphold our Bylaws, maintain fiscal responsibility, ensure that our programs support our mission, promote local conservation, and provide fun and exciting educational experiences for both children and adults.

The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society is seeking new Board candidates and welcomes expressions of interest from anyone who supports our mission. While your enthusiastic contribution of time and energy is the major qualification, the Board particularly needs expertise and experience in fund-raising, environmental education, and social media. Contact us if you have an interest in joining our Board.

Meetings are held six times a year, generally on the second Wednesday of the month at 7:30 PM.

Bill Walker, President has been birding in California since 1996 and photographing wild birds and their environment since 2003. He teaches bird photography at Google, Point Reyes Birding Festival, and the Coastside Land Trust. His photos are published on Instagram and at birdwalker.com. Since joining the SCVAS board in 2019, Bill has been active with the Field Trip committee and is helping create video content for SCVAS's YouTube channel. He credits the SCVAS 2012 trip to Costa Rica with opening a door to birding travel, which has been very rewarding. Bill has worked in software engineering at Apple, Cisco, Mozilla, and most recently, Google. Bill holds a PhD in Computer Science from University of Illinois, where he studied object-oriented software, jazz piano, and electronic music. Bill currently directs the choir at University Lutheran Church in Palo Alto.

Sue Pelmulder, Vice President, started backpacking in the Sierras at age 3 and has enjoyed the outdoors for a very long time. But she fell in love with birds when she moved to Mountain View and started taking walks at Charleston Slough. With the help of SCVAS, Sue is learning to identify smaller birds, but still appreciates any bird big enough to be seen. Sue joined the Board of Directors in July 2020 and helps out wherever needed. Sue trained as an engineer and conducted research in water resources planning and management, before following her passion for audio to be an engineer at a recording studio. Always looking to learn something new, she became an attorney and has helped clients with their insurance problems for the past 15 years. When class is in session, Sue can be found on Monday nights playing viola for local Scottish dance classes, and enjoys meeting up online with musicians from around the world.

Gary Campanella, Treasurer, joined the Board of SCVAS partway through 2021. He has been a supporter of the annual Birdathon for many years. His primary interests in joining the Board are advocacy and education but with his finance background he will also support the Finance Committee. Gary recently retired from full-time employment as Chief Financial Officer of On Lok, a healthcare nonprofit organization. Prior to that he has held senior finance positions in both healthcare and high tech organizations in Silicon Valley. He has served on other nonprofit boards in the area notably HomeFirst Services of Santa Clara Valley and Sacred Heart Community Service. Gary is an avid hiker around Almaden Valley and an avid student of the Italian language.

Michael Hawk, Secretary, has had an interest in birds and nature for years, but his 2006 move to Arizona and subsequent trips to Madera Canyon caused him to finally call himself a birder. This interest has continued to grow and expand into a general passion for the environment and the complex relationships therein. Michael is also a docent for Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, an avid bioblitz enthusiast, and an NAI Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG). Professionally, Michael works at Google in the field of data networking, but is transitioning to pursue environmental conservation as a full-time career. As part of this journey, Michael has created a podcast called Nature’s Archive, covering such diverse topics as bird migration, lichens, wildfire ecology, plant galls, oak trees, and more.

Michael Armer joined the SCVAS board in 2016. He is a founding member of the Outreach Committee, and also sits on the Membership & Development, Personnel, and Birdathon committees. Michael graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Linguistics. He then worked in the IT field for about 10 years, managing networks for a few dozen small companies. About 10 years ago Michael decided on a major career change and went to UC Davis to study Veterinary Medicine. He is now a small animal veterinarian in Campbell, CA. From a young age, Michael has been a birder and bird photographer. His passion for birds has taken him to six continents – and he hopes to travel to Antarctica to complete the set! For the last 15 years he has also been a raptor bander with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory in Marin County.  

Gabrielle Feldman joined the Board of Directors in March 2015 and has served on the Outreach and Environmental Action Committees. Gabrielle has over 20 years of experience working with natural resource managers, NGOs, governments, and businesses on a variety of wildlife conservation projects throughout the Bay Area and beyond. She combines her passion for wildlife conservation and sustainable development with an expert knowledge of local, national and international law. By utilizing a holistic approach, she has led complicated planning and implementation processes designed to conserve natural resources while promoting sustainable development. In her free time, Gabrielle enjoys spending time with her husband and their twin children and cooking and baking for a crowd. If she isn’t hanging out with her family, she spends her time outdoors hiking and exploring nature.

Vivek Khanzodé’s interest in birds and nature blossomed after a trip to Costa Rica in 2009. The Resplendent Quetzal mesmerized him, and since then he has been traveling the US and the neotropics in Central and South America annually on nature themed vacations to capture the beauty of birds. Vivek has been a member of the SCVAS Board since 2011 and currently serves on the Executive, Membership & Development, and Nominating Committees. He brings to the Board the perspectives of both a committed birder and an engineering manager in the Semiconductor industry in the Silicon Valley. He is a strong supporter and active presenter in the Bay Area Bird Photographers group of SCVAS. In his spare time, Vivek photographs birds in the Bay Area and beyond. His bird photos have been published by the National Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, and several other conservation related organizations. His bird and nature photographs can be enjoyed at www.birdpixel.com.

Barry Langdon-Lassagne, Past President, grew up in the foothills of Mount Diablo where he would frequently hike and camp. He started actively birding in the 1980s in college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He banded birds for SFBBO in the early 1990s and he's been participating in SCVAS's annual spring Birdathon since 2005.

In 2016, Barry retired from a software engineering career at Apple and now devotes more time to his love of nature and conservation. Since joining the SCVAS board in 2019, Barry has served as Board President, lead the effort to redesign our website, helped launch our YouTube channel, contributed articles to The Avocet, and guided birding field trips. He has served as chair of the Birdathon Committee and participated in multiple committees including Personnel, Finance, Outreach, Field Trip, Development and Education.

Barry still enjoys software development, managing to combine it with his birding passion by authoring a bird checklisting app for the iPhone. His other interests include bird and wildflower photography, astronomy, astrophotography, and baking bread.

John Richardson joined the Board in 2017 saying he was ready to “commit quality time and energy to such an energetic, creative, and inspiring organization.” Good to his word, he now chairs the Development Committee as well as serving on the Membership Committee. After finishing a degree in biology in Omaha, John made a calculated decision to move West and live out his dream of being nearer to the mountains. He added a history degree at a Washington university and then worked for six years with the US Forest Service in fire control in six western states. For the past 35 years, he has had a successful and rewarding career in industrial sales, mostly in executive level capital spending projects with Bay Area public schools, public and private universities, cities and counties, and large corporate firms. Now retired, John is pleased to have more time to commit to birding, worldwide nature photography, cycling, swimming, hiking, woodworking, and reading. You can see some of his work at www.johnrichardsonnature.com.

Vivek Tiwari's interest in birds and nature started while he was in college at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. Since then he’s lived and birded in North America – five years on the East coast during graduate school at Princeton University and the last twenty five years as a Santa Clara County resident. He has traveled to many remote corners of the world in pursuit of birds but the Neotropics, India and the lower 48 in the US are his favorite bird regions. While almost half this time was spent with just a pair of binoculars, bird photography has since allowed him to be able to share his passion with others in the hope that this inspires them to observe, appreciate and ultimately protect our avian biodiversity. In recent years a particular joy has been to bird with his son Vayun Tiwari, who has become a great bird photographer in his own right. An executive in the semiconductor industry, Vivek feels lucky to be living in Silicon Valley with its amazing diversity of habitats and birds. As a Board member he hopes to contribute to the continuing mission of SCVAS, an organization of which he has been a proud member for over a quarter of a century!

Committee Chairs:

Annie Yang volunteers as the Chair of the Environmental Action Committee (EAC). Although her professional training is in medication safety and healthcare quality improvement with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of California, San Francisco, she loves learning about the ecology of the South Bay and looks for opportunities to be a steward of nature. Having only previously lived in cities, such as San Francisco and New York City, she became interested in the built environment's impact on wildlife after seeing a bird collide with a skyscraper in Manhattan. After moving to the South Bay, she knew she wanted to work proactively to minimize the detrimental impacts of humans on nature. Annie works with our Environmental Advocate and the EAC to protect and enhance wildlife habitat and promote local biodiversity in Santa Clara County. When not in the Bay Area, she can probably be found waking up to bird songs on a backpacking trip in the High Sierra. To learn more about the EAC or to join our efforts, contact Annie at eac@scvas.org.

Banner Photo Credit: Wrentit by Vivek Khanzode