Paul Hicks: Vice President

Paul Hicks is an avid and experienced birder who recently retired to St. George with his wife Colleen to be near grandchildren and take in Southern Utah’s excellent birding. He has been birding since age 13 and learned to recognize birds by their vocalizations before his first pair of binoculars. He has birded in 30 states and 15 countries on 4 continents with extensive birding in southern Spain. “I love to teach people to bird-by-ear,” says Hicks. “Becoming attuned to the sounds of nature opens a whole new world of enjoying and appreciating God’s incredible creation.” Before moving to Southern Utah from Olympia, Washington, Paul was a frequent field trip leader for church groups and Black Hills Audubon and instructed several birding-by-ear classes.

Paul Jaussi: Secretary

Paul was introduced to birding in college when he first saw a Western Tanager through a pair of binoculars and was hooked. That event started a passion for birding that has followed him throughout his life. While a native of Utah, he lived in Oregon for 22 years where he helped grow the Friends of the Refuge for the newly founded Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, serving as both as a Board member and Vice President for several years.

He is a Manufacturing Engineer by profession with both a Bachelors and Masters degree from Brigham Young University.

He and his family recently moved to St. George where he quickly discovered the wildlife diversity of the area. His reason for volunteering with the Audubon is to give back a little portion to the birding community of what he has received from so many in the past.

Bill Griffiths: Treasurer

Two important influences affected me growing up in Las Vegas.  At a young age, I was “exposed” to photography since my father was a very good amateur photographer, winning many awards in local contests.  I also made annual summer trips to northern Utah (Brigham City) to spend a week with my Grandparents.  My grandfather would always take my sister and I to visit the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.  I found out that I loved nature and really loved birds.  A few years later, in pursuit of my Eagle Scout Badge, I earned two Merit Badges – Photography and Bird Study.  And what am I still doing 60+ years later…taking photos of birds!

Lucy Ormond, Director

My name is Lucy Ormond and I am a "birder!"  My intense interest in birds and birding began in 2014 when I brought my elderly mother to live with me.  Prior to that time I was an avid cyclist,  I had ridden my bicycle across America from the Pacific to the Atlantic and from Canada to Mexico, and in almost every European country, Morocco, and central America.  Bringing my mother into my home, I knew I would have to give up cycling. 

 I picked up a couple of books "Living on the Wind" by Scott Weidensaul and "Kingbird Highway" by Kenn Kaufman. I was hooked!  I had no idea that birds migrated any further than from Northern Utah to Southern Utah.  I had to see some of those birds for myself.  I had received a nice pair of binoculars as a retirement gift, so I was set.  This I learned quickly:  at first birding is a nice little hobby, then it becomes more time consuming avocation, then it becomes an obsession!  

As a result of my obsession with birding, I have had the luxury of traveling all over the world in pursuit of beautiful little, winged-things.  My first big adventure in 2015 was to Southern Ecuador and the Galapago.  Following in Darwin's footsteps, I saw all of his finches and dozens of other Galapagos birds and creatures.  Birding had me in its "talons" causing me to make every vacation a birding trip.   I have future trips planned to Cape May, NJ, Spain and Morocco.  

After retiring, I volunteered  in Zion National Park as a birding guide, leading a weekly bird walk and monitoring the California Condors nesting in the park.  The highlight of my time was teaching children and adults, new to birding, how to do the basics like using a pair of binoculars, helping others in the group find the bird calling, and keeping a list of birds seen on a field trip.  

Now in retirement I bird everyday, most of the time from the comfort of my home. When I see a bird in my yard that is uncommon, it is as exciting to me as seeing it for the first time somewhere else in the world.  

About seven years ago, the Red Cliffs Audubon was on "life support."  The two people who organized the club fifteen years earlier, the Davis' were no longer able to continue. A gentleman new to the area, Paul Jaussi called me and asked if we could meet and discuss the failing club.  He came to my home one Thursday evening and by the time he walked out the door, we had a plan!  The key features of our plan were to begin having a weekly Wednesday bird walk and a monthly field trip.  He and I agreed to lead these events ourselves until we could "strong arm" others to take some of the responsibility.  From very small groups of five to ten participants we have evolved into the Audubon we are today.  

I am honored to be serving on the Board of Directors of the Red Cliffs Audubon Chapter.  My desire for the future is to have everyone in our chapter step up and take part of the responsibility for seeing that we continue to bring the joy of birding to children and adults who are new to birding.  By sharing the load, it is lighter for all.

Donalda Day: Director

Donalda Day has always had an interest in nature, curious to know the name of a mountain or insect she was looking at, the type of rock she was holding, or what kind of tree she was standing under. So, in 1979, when a western tanager landed on a branch outside her kitchen window, she rushed out to buy a field guide and has been hooked on birds ever since. Born and raised in Southern California and living in San Dimas where she first saw the tanager, she joined the Pomona Valley Audubon Society where she was membership chair, field trip leader, and served one year as president. Her next stop was the Eastern Sierra area in California and actively birded there. She has traveled to Costa Rica, Colombia, Texas, and Arizona on birding tours and birded Europe, Peru, Galapagos, eastern Australia, the Caribbean, and Alaska while on family vacations. She particularly enjoys watching and studying bird behavior and answering bird questions from family and friends.

Joseph Platt, Ph.D.: Director

Joe Platt is an ecologist based in St. George, UT. He has spent more than thirty years in environmental work in Arctic Canada, Arabia, East Africa and throughout the US. He has extensively studied nesting behavior of protected species and been an active bander of raptors and numerous shorebird and passerine species. Along with over a dozen published peer reviewed scientific articles and three book chapters, he has presented scientific papers in 13 countries.

He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Peregrine Fund and the World Center for Birds of Prey. He also served on

the editing board of the Journal for the Raptor Research Foundation and a member of the California Burrowing Owl Consortium.

Joe is a graduate of Utah State University, Brigham Young University, and received his Ph.D. from Cornell University.

Jill Wright: Newsletter Editor

Jill has been an outdoor enthusiast all of her adult life. While always a casual admirer of birds, her first true birding experience was right here at the 2023 Red Cliffs Bird Fest. Mind blown, she began regularly attending Wednesday Bird Walks and became the Editor of the Roadrunner News (RCA newsletter) shortly thereafter. This has resulted in greatly increasing her knowledge of birds and introducing her to the many wonderful local birders. Jill splits her time between St George and Idaho Falls, where she worked as a Metallurgical Engineer for the Idaho National Laboratory, a career that included writing and editing numerous technical journal articles, experience that has paid off in an unanticipated way.