Couple Donates Pathfinder to Support Avian Research

By Outreach and Communications Director Kristin Butler

Some of the most important tools our scientists use to conduct research on Bay Area birds are the vehicles they drive across levees and dirt roads to reach the plovers, water birds, and tidal marshes they study and protect. Unfortunately, these vehicles are also some of the most expensive!

​That’s why we are always especially grateful to supporters who donate their used trucks or other four-wheel-drive vehicles to SFBBO. Two recent donors who did just that are Jonathan and Christine Slocomb-Zack, who donated their old Pathfinder Nissan truck to us this spring ...

Christine is a scientist and has contributed her skills as a volunteer in our Colonial Waterbird and Outreach Programs for several years. She said as a scientist she understands how important off-road vehicles are to organizations like SFBBO.

“After ten years as a field biologist, I understand the importance and value of a good field vehicle, which allows you to maximize the number of sites you can visit to gather as much data as possible in a season,” she said.

Basic things like a field truck can be a limiting factor in successful conservation research and adaptive management projects, she said.

“This is why we donated our Pathfinder to SFBBO, because we have hope for a future where Western Snowy Plovers and other species are thriving in the Bay Area, but reaching that goal requires action,” she said.

Thank you, Christine and Jonathan, for taking action to support SFBBO through your Pathfinder donation, and for all you do for birds and conservation!

If you have a vehicle or other item you'd like to donate to SFBBO, please contact Outreach and Communications Director Kristin Butler at [email protected]. ​