Belated Thanks

Our ivorybill search this past winter and spring was an unforgettable experience, mixed with excitement, terror (yeah, a couple of times), and some disappointment, and I consider myself very fortunate to have been involved. Among some unfinished business is a public acknowledgment of gratitude to the people who devoted their personal finances, time, and energy to the volunteer portion of Auburn's Choctawhatchee search based at Nokuse Plantation between December 2006 and May 2007.

First I thank MC Davis for the use of the excellent Nokuse facility, without which we would have been horribly handicapped. Nokuse staff Matt Aresco and Margaret Gunzburger were tremendously supportive with logistics, field searching, the use of Matt's personal motorboat, GIS and map assistance, and general moral support, and I greatly value their friendship.

Mike Martin wins the volunteer of the year award for his many contributions, including his indispensible GIS expertise. Honorable mention goes to Richard Martin (no relation), Eric Soehren, Bill Summerour, Keith Collins, Bob Reid, Brian Monk, Nonie Maines, Robert Jones, Mark Hopey, Lynn Brandon, Bill Finch, and John Jensen. Several others, whom I hesitate to mention for fear of leaving someone out, volunteered smaller amounts of time.

Thanks also to the Auburn U./U. of Windsor guys: Geoff Hill, Dan Mennill, Brian Rolek, Rusty Ligon, Justyn Stahl, and Karan Odom for treating our ragtag group as "equals" in the search.

Last but certainly not least I thank my wife Karan (a different Karan, but spelled the same) and my four-year-old daughter Ava, who put up with Daddy looking for woodpeckers for days at a stretch.

Obviously this blog has been poorly tended of late as I have been swamped with non-ivorybill fieldwork, and it may not be maintained very frequently for the next few months. I have not posted a summary of the season, and if I do it will not be released until Geoff Hill posts his later this summer.