On the Board-Walk: Meet Bruce Paton

By Guest Blogger & SFBBO Board Co-Chair Bruce Paton

Bird photography was key to my mental health during the pandemic. Some of my calmest moments the past few years have been spent at the edge of the Bay. I’m a passionate bird photographer, and my camera has helped me first to see birds and then to learn about their behavior and their habitats.  

Professionally and personally, I have spent several decades working on sustainability.  In particular, I have been working and writing to help communities limit and reverse the damage from climate change. 
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“Sustainability”, “environment” and even “climate change” are abstract concepts, but watching a Great Egret take off always takes my breath away...

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And watching Black-Necked Stilts chase away predators to protect their young delights me.  Through my camera, I try to help others see the beauty of birds in their habitats, and to understand that our future is intertwined with theirs.  

As you can imagine, I’m passionate about the work of SFBBO.  We live in an area blessed with an extraordinary richness of natural areas in the heart of an urbanized area.  Protecting the beauty and the integrity of natural habitats here is crucial to our long-term survival.  But we can only protect those habitats if the people in the area know about and care about them.

SFBBO’s recently updated mission statement puts the word “community” at the center of our work.  For me, protecting birds and their habitats requires us to be deeply engaged in helping our communities see the vital importance of birds and bird habitats to our own well-being. We need people to understand how climate change and urban development threaten the survival of birds.  But even more important we need people to value birds and their needs and understand how to protect habitats that are changing.  

SFBBO has a long history building our understanding of birds and protecting habitats.  Now, in a time of great change, this organization is vital to engaging our communities in protecting them.  Please join me in supporting this wonderful organization through our Spring Appeal, which goes on from now to June 30.

For more information about how to contribute your time, your talent and/or your treasure, please visit our website at www.sfbbo.org.