Birder honored for volunteerism
Tom Tribble, president of the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society in Asheville, has been named Audubon North Carolina’s 2018 Volunteer of the Year.
“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.”
A dedicated birder and Audubon member since 1975, Tribble 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 St. Eugene’s Catholic Church to add 300 bird-friendly native plants to their Friendship Garden or “Jardin de la Amistad.”