Audubon Community Nature Center celebrated the end of its fiscal year recently with a virtual New Year’s Eve Party and annual meeting. Audubon staff, pictured here at their retreat this summer on Lake Erie, led various portions of the event.

With the Audubon Community Nature Center fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, staff, board of directors, members, and volunteers celebrated with a virtual New Year’s Eve Party and Annual Meeting.

Leigh Rovegno, ACNC executive director, opened the meeting, and Sarah Hatfield, education coordinator, gave a brief background on Audubon’s Three Trees/pillars concept. Kim Turner, education assistant/designer, described ACNC’s JEDI work.

Katie Finch, senior nature educator, organized small group discussions around the two questions: If Audubon were to close its doors tomorrow, what would you miss the most and what would the community miss the most?

Rovegno and Volunteer Coordinator Tina Preston introduced the “uniquely Audubon” bingo game that featured facts from the past year and from Audubon’s history. Winners were John Jablonski III, executive dIrector of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, and Joanne Miller, Audubon gift shop manager.

Jeff Tome, Audubon public engagement specialist, presented a photo slideshow showing some of the many things that took place over the last year at ACNC, from programs to volunteers to new construction projects.

described ACNC as “a living, breathing organization” that has undergone many transitions in the past two years, noting how the education staff has risen to the challenges necessitated by the pandemic. She also introduced additional staffers: Chelsea Jandreau, nature educator; Claire Certo, receptionist, and Terry LeBaron, buildings and grounds manager.

The organization was pleased to announce that, despite the loss of most of its school contracts for 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was able to make up for all of its lost school revenue through the addition of on-site programs, including the Nature Schoolhouse Series. These programs provided essential childcare for families with full-time working parents who had children attending school only part-time due to the pandemic.

Andrew Harrington, board chair, presided over the re-election of himself and Greg Lyle to the board and the election of new members Laurie Korb and Antoinetta (Netta) Lindell.