This spring, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) arrived in the Klamath Basin. By June it had spread among the Eared Grebes of the Klamath National Wildlife Refuge Complex, killing hundreds of birds. In early August, as water levels declined and water became warm and stagnant, another disease emerged, killing hundreds of birds in the first few days.

On March 7 the Board of Forestry made a landmark decision to better protect Oregon’s western state forests by adopting the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that was years in the making. The HCP is an important step in stopping overharvest and addressing habitat needs of endangered species. It also better protects water for over 500,000 Oregonians and will lead to more sustainable forestry practices supporting a healthy coastal economy.

Irene was passionate about wildlife, and she defied the societal expectations of the time by writing and offering lectures both with William and alone, climbing mountains, and traveling to remote places, all in service of her mission to document nature and use those findings to protect birds and other wildlife.