Speakers

Introducing Mike AZEVEDO is our speaker for the September Meeting of the Modesto Garden Club. Mike is the County Coordinator for Santa Clara County for the California Bluebird Recovery Program and has been so since 2009.

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Mike has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Management and has been a wildlife enthusiast for four decades, serving as a naturalist, park ranger, and even a BSA merit badge counselor for seven nature related merit badges. He is compiler of the San Jose Audubon Christmas Bird Count and works with Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society and their nest box monitors.

 

Mike also works with Sequoia Audubon Society on a project to save the Western Purple Martin, a bird species of special concern that is battling habitat loss, deadly competition with the introduced European starling and food source crash due to the rampant use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Mike is also involved with the California Native Plant Society, and gives presentations on birds and nest boxes, habitat gardening in your backyard and the importance of native plants to a variety of groups and organizations.

 

Together with Georgette Howington, Mike is an editor of the CBRP Facebook Page and is currently working on books and videos with Georgette to encourage the use of native plants, nest boxes and habitat improvement in general.