Later this month Audubon Southwest’s Director of Bird Conservation, Tice Supplee will be awarded the David N. Pashley Lifetime Achievement Award by Partners in Flight (PIF), an international bird conservation partnership (of which Audubon Southwest is a member) with the mission of keeping common birds common and helping species at risk through voluntary partnerships.

Since 1996, PIF has celebrated conservation leaders through their annual awards. The David N. Pashley Lifetime Achievement Award is given to one individual each year who has made outstanding contributions, consistently over the entirety of her career of 15 or more years, to advancing PIF’s mission, bird conservation efforts for PIF priority birds and habitats, and/or through PIF’s various committees or working groups. This is as high an honor that exists in the bird conservation world that Tice well deserves.

Tice had a 29-year career with the Arizona Game and Fish Department before embarking on her “second” career with National Audubon Society where she has worked for over 18 years. In this time, she has led Arizona’s Important Bird Areas Program, participated in Arizona PIF and its reimagined Arizona Bird Conservation Initiative since its inception, led efforts to study and conserve numerous bird species in Arizona including the endangered Yuma’s Ridgeway Rail, and has been vital in formulating and conducting the Arizona Coordinated Bird Monitoring Program. Tice has been a mentor to many, supporting the next generation of conservationists, and teaching others that conservation is a human act and to do it well you need to make connections. She effectively uses her past career, connections, and friendships to forge effective and far-reaching conservation outcomes.

I have been fortunate enough to work directly with Tice since 2020 and include myself among those that have learned from her wisdom and experience. I am a better biologist and conservationist as a result. I also knew David Pashley who was very supportive of me in my early career and himself made in indelible mark on bird conservation through his work to establish the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures among many other accomplishments. David was a kind and wise conservation leader and Tice fits that same mold. We are proud to have Tice as a team member at Audubon Southwest and share a deep respect for her career and work.

If you know Tice (as many of you likely do), consider sending a note of congratulations or well wishes for this great honor. Thank you for joining us in celebrating a long and accomplished career.