Pasco Audubon Board Members

Officers and Board Members

The board of Pasco Audubon serves as the guiding body responsible for advancing the chapter’s mission in alignment with the National Audubon Society’s goals. Their duties include setting strategic priorities, overseeing conservation and education initiatives, managing finances and resources, and ensuring organizational integrity and transparency. The board also fosters community engagement, supports local birding and habitat preservation efforts, and works collaboratively with members, volunteers, and partners to promote the protection of birds and the natural environments they depend on. The board also provides educational programs and field trips for members of their community.

Christine Rowland

President

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Don Fraser

Vice President

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Joanne Chamberlin

Treasurer

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Robert Burkard

Board Member

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Patricia Goldberg

Board Member

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J Mike Kell

Board Member

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Philip Duncan

Secretary

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JoAnn Sinatra

Board Member

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Christine Rowland

Christine has served as president of Pasco Audubon (formerly West Pasco Audubon) since 2018. She became involved through an interest in conservation issues and has often pointed out that when she first came to Pasco Audubon she couldn't tell a White-eyed Vireo from a Tufted Titmouse. But with a lot of help and patience from those more experienced, she soon became a keen birder. Christine also took on editing the Facebook page and scheduling speakers and field trips, and co-coordinating the Christmas Bird Count. With time she also began the Birding 102 (Wednesday walks) program and started the monthly newsletter. Over the past couple of years she has also expanded our programs to include international birding trips and has welcomed and encouraged new endeavors for the chapter such as the Birding-by-Bike and the Pasco Audubon Camera Club.

Don Fraser

Don joined the Pasco Audubon board in 2023 (2022?) and presently serves as Vice President and Conservation Chair. In this capacity Don tracks issues related to land use and their impacts on wildlife. This involves engaging with officials at the state and local level through letter writing, in-person discussions and representation at public workshops/meetings.

Don is a retired wildlife biologist who relocated to Dunedin from his native Ontario, Canada in 2016. He developed an interest in birds as a teenager and eventually turned his hobby into a vocation, working in the environmental consulting field for over 40 years. Don utilizes this extensive work experience to represent the Chapter’s interests. He serves on Audubon Florida’s Regional Conservation Committee, sharing his knowledge of Pasco issues with other Central Florida chapters.

Don regularly participates in various citizen projects, including local Christmas Bird Counts, bioblitzes, and butterfly surveys. He shares his knowledge of bird and butterfly identification through leading field trips and giving talks to various Audubon chapters throughout the Tampa Bay Area.

In addition to being an avid birder, Don is a regular contributor to iNaturalist. Since 2017 he has made over 30,000 observations to this global database, documenting more than 5500 plant and animal species - including 800+ in Pasco County alone!

Bob Burkard

Bob began his passion with birding and conservation as a young child by joining his mother, Ann Burkard, on long walks through the woods, meadows and apple orchards near his Pennsylvania home. After seeing an “extremely rare at that time” Eastern Bluebird he became an advocate for building bird boxes for these amazing birds, and over his lifetime has built and installed hundreds of bluebird boxes. Additionally, he was a successful Purple Martin landlord in PA and is helping to establish a new colony for Pasco Audubon.

Patricia Goldberg

Her interest in birds began 40 years ago, while volunteering at an avian rehabilitation center in the Tampa Bay area. It was one of the factors that motivated her to earn degrees in zoology, culminating in a PhD in Paleoecology. Although she most enjoyed working in the fields of ecology, she primarily found employment in teaching cellular biology and anatomy courses, and spent two decades mentoring future doctors at various institutions, concluding with a stint at Oxford. Pat returned to her roots in 2018 when she joined the (then) West Pasco Audubon Society’s Board of Directors. Currently she serves as their Special Projects Coordinator, aiding in the development and implementation of projects benefiting wildlife.

Mike Kell

I moved to New Port Richey in 1994, to a house with a retention pond with an island behind it. I acquired a Peterson bird guide to learn the names of all the birds we saw there. At that time, Audubon meetings were on Wednesdays at 1 PM. I retired from Verizon Telephone in 2006, and in 2007, and the wife and I joined Audubon.

Ken Tracy asked if I would become a board member. I came out of the meeting a board member and Vice President. I had been doing counts and walks with Ken for several years by then.

In 2012, Pasco Audubon was looking for a conservation project. I suggested we start a program to monitor the bird boxes that Ken Tracey had put up in Starkey Park in 2009. Bob Burkard has since taken over this program.

In 2009, I took over the website. Since I had taken programming courses in college. I have served as webmaster ever since.

I started doing the roost count for CBC in 2012. Over 1500 birds were counted on that inaugural count.

I have found in my 30 years of bird-watching that birds and nature have given me many pleasures, and as soon as you think you have seen it all, something new happens. Rare sights appear again, like a pair of Black Skimmers feeding on my pond this morning.

Philip Duncan

Phil and his wife, Kendra, moved to Pasco County in 2022 from North Carolina. Seeing Sandhill Cranes walking around his neighborhood triggered his interest in birding. Phil thought it was so amazing he took photos of them to send to family members up north. This new interest in birds (and photography) got him involved with Pasco Audubon where he's been participating in their field trips and the Wednesday Birding 102 program. Phil has greatly benefited from Pasco Audubon members, and he looks forward to contributing as a member on the board.

JoAnn Sinatra

JoAnn Sinatra has always been interested in the conservation of birds and wildlife. Her interest continued during a 25-year career with the Staten Island Zoo in New York. JoAnn then moved to Florida in 2015, joining the Pasco Audubon in 2016 to pursue her interest in birding and staying in touch with nature.

After several years as a member of the Audubon, JoAnn became a member of the Board. She enjoys preparing and setting up refreshments for monthly meetings, and all events that are sponsored by the Pasco Audubon. Another role that JoAnn enjoys is working with the fundraising donations, as it is gratifying to experience the generosity of local businesses and residents who appreciate the work of the Pasco Audubon.

When Joann isn’t busy with her community association and making her home an inviting place for the birds and butterflies, she consults with other Board members (like Bob) to have a Bluebird Nesting Box built for her residential community, which she monitors regularly.