
Established in 1985, the Mamie Campbell Award is given to our most dedicated volunteers. Mamie Campbell award winners have demonstrated a sustained and long-term volunteer commitment. We also look for volunteers who are active in several different programs, and who are leaders and role models in our volunteer community.
Please join us in congratulating the 2024 Mamie Campbell Award winners:
Lydia Collins
Lydia joined the Bird Alliance of Oregon in 2018 as a Wildlife Solutions Counselor in the Care Center. In addition to holding a regular weekly shift assisting Good Samaritans experiencing wildlife conflict, Lydia has also played a key role in some of our Community Science programs, and is always willing to step up and assist with the various projects that need a helping hand.
As the regular Tuesday morning Wildlife Solutions Counselor, Lydia brings a grounding presence and outstanding service to the community through the wildlife hotline, a role that can be quite stressful. She is extremely well versed in her birding knowledge, and skilled at navigating personal interactions with the community. A staff member who works with Lydia says, “She demonstrates thoughtfulness in her recommendations, and shows genuine care through the emotionality of the calls. She is such an incredible point person for our good samaritans.”

If ever there is a need for help with special projects like sewing enclosure covers for our patients in the care center, work parties, or animal releases, Lydia is ready to take on the task! She is a part of the forager team, and helps to collect branches and other foliage for wildlife in the indoor and outdoor enclosures.
In addition to all of her work with the Care Center, Lydia has been a great asset to the Community Science program. She has spent many hours on the Urban Wildlife Information Network (UWIN) program, looking through and tagging trail cam photos. She has even compiled and posted some of her favorites here.
Lydia makes the trek out to Harney County multiple times a year to help with surveys and stewardship projects, and has most recently been dedicating her time to helping refine the Bird Acoustic Monitoring project protocols. A staff member who works directly with Lydia describes her as “Truly exceptional”! Lydia’s wildlife acumen, down-to-earth personality, and intentionality make her a valuable member of the Bird Alliance team, and we appreciate her volunteer service.
Kiffi Harris
Kiffi has been a regular and active volunteer with the Bird Alliance of Oregon since 2018. Her areas of involvement within the organization cover a wide range of activities; From caring for animals in the Wildlife Care Center (WCC), to engaging the public at outreach events, while serving on multiple committees, Kiffi has built strong relationships across nearly all departments.
Kiffi’s dedication and care has been an asset to the Wildlife Care Center since 2018 when she began her role as Wildlife Care Assistant that she still holds to this day. Through challenging periods during the pandemic and WCC closures, Kiffi adapted and helped out where needed, taking on new tasks and duties, such as cleaning the outdoor Mews, as well as learning the role of Wildlife Solutions Counselor when volunteers were unable to be present inside the hospital.

As a strong ambassador and advocate of Bird Alliance of Oregon’s mission, Kiffi has attended many events throughout the years, helping to educate the public about the organization as well as pertinent wildlife and conservation issues. Kiffi regularly steps up to attend Community Outreach tabling opportunities, offers help with organizing and creating functional systems, and is always ready to offer a supportive and guiding hand with new volunteers. A staff member who works with Kiffi says, “Kiffi is a great teacher and always makes sure to train newcomers on appropriate care.”
Aside from her work with the WCC, this will be Kiffi’s fifth year of being involved with the Wild Arts Festival. In 2023, she joined the planning committee and took on the role of Admissions Coordinator. As the years go by, Kiffi demonstrates a desire and enthusiasm to grow and expand in her capacity as a volunteer and community member. Another staff member says, “She is calm under pressure, brings a positive attitude to each situation, and always looks for more opportunities to volunteer.” Kiffi’s calming, positive, and welcoming presence is deeply appreciated by staff and volunteers alike, and we are grateful for her volunteer service!
Susie Sullivan
Susie has been with the Bird Alliance of Oregon since 2018. Not only is she a current volunteer and board member, but is a previous staff member as well! Susie is currently a Wildlife Care Assistant on the Monday WCC shift, volunteers with the Ambassador Animal program, plays a vital role in the Wild Arts Festival every year, and serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors.
Susie is a passionate advocate for the Bird Alliance mission, deeply fascinated by animal behavior and helping rehabilitate birds to live long, healthy lives. Her role in the WCC is central to that passion. Susie brings an inquisitive, life-long learner mentality and is always seeking new opportunities to gain knowledge and improve her practices. When Susie found an abandoned nest that had balloon strings and other trash woven throughout, she showed it to everyone on campus and donated it to the Education department to demonstrate how littering can affect wildlife! She shows great respect for all wild patients, and her dedication to the WCC team and this work is described as “unquestionable” and “stellar”!

You can also find Susie lending her skills and deep understanding of finance to the organization throughout the year. During the Wild Arts Festival, Susie manages the accounting during the entire event, and the subsequent reconciliation (no small task). A staff member shares, “She is responsible, ethical, trustworthy, dedicated, and invested in the success of this event and of our organization.” As a member of the Board, Susie was recently voted in as Treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee. In these roles, she provides a sense of confidence to the team as the organization enters into a major capital project for the new WCC site.
Another staff member says this about Susie: “We are so lucky to have a volunteer with such a diverse skillset who understands the many different and intertwined ways this organization’s decisions and needs affect other areas of our work!” She is truly an asset to this organization, and we are thankful for her service to the Bird Alliance of Oregon.