Steward of the Month: Doug McSpadden
Meet our Steward of the Month, Doug McSpadden! Doug is an IAWP Busy Beaver, and has joined us on various projects including clean ups, weed pulls, piezometer monitoring, and beaver mimicry! Doug always brings his A-game and good energy to all events, and always has some good stories and bird knowledge to share. We appreciate you, Doug!
Doug and his wife Carmen moved to the Gallatin Valley in 1985. They raised their two sons here, and ran various businesses while volunteering in different ways throughout the years. Doug am retired and volunteers at the Food Bank, Sacajawea Audubon and GWC.
Q & A
1. What is your favorite thing to do within the watershed?
I love being outdoors so it is tough to choose. I have always loved all mountain sports, however I have had to cull some of those activities due to an older body that resembles a slow, meandering creek rather than a strong, raging river. ;-) My favorite thing to do now would be to photograph and observe birds in the springtime. I love watching display behavior with all of the birds decked out in their breeding plumage. It makes me feel like everything is right in this world.
2. What excites you most about GWC's mission?
The stewardship component of GWC's mission. I believe in hands-on involvement in projects to promote a sense of ownership and accomplishment in the area or project. That pride and ownership leads to long-term care and stewardship of our watershed and valley. There are so many things that are out of our control with the explosive growth in our valley. One thing we can control is our stewardship of the land in this area, be it through private or public collaborations, or our own individual actions.
3. What element of the Indreland Audubon Wetland Preserve restoration project (led by Sacajawea Audubon Society) excites you the most?
Just the fact that we are restoring a degraded wetland and adding productive habitat to the watershed. (I was/am so impressed with the vision and perseverance of the Sacajawea Audubon leadership to make this happen.) I would love to see White-faced Ibis' return to the area. But even if they don't return, I know that we are adding wetlands to the system, not subtracting, and there will be other species that can take advantage of that addition.
4. What's your favorite book? (Or favorite band?)
The two books I would recommend, which the readers of this site may already be familiar with, are; Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Nature's Best Hope by Doug Tallamy. They each have important messages on the powerful impact of attentive stewardship.
My favorite band is the bold banding on the tail feathers of a juvenile Cooper's Hawk...Ha!
5. What do you want the Lower Gallatin Watershed to look like within 5 years?
From a short-term standpoint, I don't think we can afford any more wetland loss. Hopefully, we can add wetlands through more private landowner collaboration and other creative management tools. In the long-term, I would like to see a watershed surrounded by, and supported with, a knowledgeable stewardship ethic. It will take most of us to protect and nurture our watershed, and when our watershed is healthy and productive all the other beneficial things like healthy groundwater, productive habitat, species diversity, and climate resiliency will come along with it.