President's Corner
The Alex Cringan Fund
by John Shenot
Perhaps you’ve noticed a reference on our website or membership application forms to something called the Alex Cringan Fund. Dr. Alex Cringan was a Colorado State University Professor of Wildlife Biology, a founding member and past president of FCAS, a frequent FCAS field trip leader, and a friend and role model for many FCAS members. He was instrumental in the early development of Gustav Swanson Natural Area in Fort Collins and the initiation of the Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas. Dr. Cringan passed away in October 2012.
Shortly after his passing, FCAS created the Alex Cringan Fund to provide small grants for natural history educational purposes. We can use Cringan Fund donations to support teachers who want to provide natural history education in their classrooms, or students who wish to pursue extracurricular educational opportunities.
Natural history education is fundamental to the mission of FCAS and, for that matter, fundamental to the future of humanity. We have a new Education Committee Chair in 2018, Barb Patterson, who is chock full of ideas and enthusiasm. Barb has recruited a great group of volunteers for her committee. Now, I’m hoping to put more money in the Cringan Fund so our Education Committee can offer more and bigger grants to educators and students in our community. Many of you have generously donated to this fund already, but this month I want to encourage everyone to consider a donation—even if, like me, you never met Dr. Cringan.
Find FCAS on Facebook for Field Trip Information
FCAS has a Facebook page where we post announcements about upcoming field trips, last minute changes to scheduled trips, and high-lights of most of our outings. Just click on the “Like" button in the plugin to Like our page! Our announcements should then appear on your wall. You can also click on "Fort Collins Audubon Society" to be taken directly to the Facebook page. Note: All field trips are also announced in the Ptarmigan and on our website.