Photo by Sandrine Scherson-Biziaux

Conservation Awards

Conservation Award Presentations

Each year since 1967 the Conservation Committee presents the Fern Zimmerman Conservation Award and Letter (s) of Commendation to individuals or organizations that have made noteworthy contributions to the protection of habitats, natural resources, birds, and other wildlife in Orange County (and occasionally beyond).

Photo by Doug Lithgow

2024 Fern Zimmerman Conservation Award

Melissa Borde for her many contributions to the protection of the Bolsa Chica Reserve with a particular emphasis on the implementation of the Bolsa Chica Reserve Watch Program. As the Reserve Manager and Environmental Scientist at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Melissa manages one of the largest and last remaining coastal wetlands in Southern California. She oversees daily operations, infrastructure maintenance, biological monitoring and surveying of threatened and endangered species, and other tasks. To also bring together the three Bolsa Chica non-profit groups, along with Sea and Sage Audubon, to create the Watch Program, a collaborative, volunteer effort to help nearly 100,000 annual visitors better understand and respect the reserve, is a great achievement.

Fern Zimmerman Conservation Award History 2024

2024 Letters of Commendation

With the recognition that window strikes take a heavy toll on birds, Sea and Sage commends two forward-thinking institutions that recently took steps to make their buildings more bird-friendly.

Orange County Parks, Nix Nature Center: for protecting birds from window strikes. The Nix Center installed bird deterrent film with rows of barely visible dots on large windows that were having repeated bird strikes. Birds do not recognize glass as a solid object and when it reflects habitats, it tricks them into flying into the glass and often dying. Researchers estimate that up to 1 billion birds die every year in the United States alone from colliding with glass. The dots are hardly noticeable to human visitors but are real lifesavers to the avian visitors!

Huntington Beach Central Library and Supporters: for protecting birds by adding strike deterrents to their windows. After being alerted by visitors and area residents that hummingbirds were dying in large numbers after striking the library’s massive windows, the library applied bird deterrent film over selected problem windows. The costs of the treatment were covered by an anonymous donation for the materials and the challenging installation job. Since installation, the library has received no reports of dead birds.

Conservation Letters of Commendation History 2024

Fern Zimmerman

The Conservation Award is named in honor of Fern Zimmerman, one of the chapter’s all-time most inspirational and enthusiastic members. Fern was a true conservationist, grass roots organizer, and leader who contributed greatly to the development of Sea and Sage Audubon Society. She helped us find our voice in the world of environmental advocacy and bird conservation.

Fern first visited the chapter as her sister’s guest in 1947, and for the following fifty years she left her passionate and unswerving imprint on Sea and Sage. Many of the chapter’s early Conservation Committee meetings were organized by Fern and held in her living room. Many of our leaders were recruited by her. She was a constant source of optimism about our ability to effect change in our environment, especially in the protection of open spaces.

In 1997, shortly after Fern’s passing, Sea and Sage Audubon decided to name the conservation award the “Fern Zimmerman Conservation Award” in honor of one of our most cherished members and conservationists.

Click to read “Fern Zimmerman, A Personal Remembrance” by Sylvia Gallagher.