By Alan Krakauer of Alan Krakauer Photography
When I launched Alan Krakauer Photography in 2018, I wanted to channel my passion for birds into advocacy for nature and open space. I didn’t start with any special plan for how this would happen. It was a happy feature of my fledgling business that I found myself with opportunities to educate and excite people about the natural world. My prints, greeting cards, and calendars provided focal points for sharing stories about treasured animal encounters, favorite local trails, and unforgettable trips.
At some point this year, as our “new normal” grew ever more alarming, the enormity of our societal challenges hit me. Simply talking to people while on a trail or at my market booth didn’t seem sufficient– it was time to do more. I made the decision to formalize my support for groups that were doing the good work of making our world a better place. My first philanthropic target was The Innocence Project, a non-profit working to overturn wrongful convictions and implement criminal justice reform.
The second? Golden Gate Audubon Society.
Why did I select GGAS out of all the options out there? The answer is simple – I believe strongly in this organization and its mission. Over many years as a member I’ve gotten to see first-hand how GGAS makes the Bay Area a better place.
My introduction to Golden Gate Audubon may sound familiar. Like hundreds of you, I have spent many mid-December Sundays participating in the long-running Oakland Christmas Bird Count. As I became more familiar with GGAS, I sought out deeper connections including a season as a Meeker Slough Bay Trail docent and sharing the story of my photography passion with Clay Anderson’s Nature Journaling class. Most recently, I’ve contributed pieces for GGAS’s blog and The Gull.
The list of ways in which GGAS touches the lives of birds and people in the Bay Area is longer than a curlew’s beak! Birding and education resources on the website. Volunteer clean-up and habitat restoration projects. Advocacy for bird-related issues like the Oakland night-herons and bird-safe buildings. Youth education programs. Field trips. The list goes on.
With the lack of in-person events this year, Golden Gate Audubon has had to get creative with their fundraising to keep all of these amazing programs strong. I’m thrilled to be able to help out. I’ll be donating 5% of my sales to GGAS through the end of December 2020. That’s 5% of everything I sell, whether it be the popular wall calendars, colorful greeting cards and other items in my Etsy store (Etsy/shop/AlanKPhotoStore) or larger prints bought through my website (www.alankrakauerphotography.com).
Additionally, through the end of December, I’m pleased to offer a discount to friends of Golden Gate Audubon Society. Use code GGAS20 for a special 10% discount on your Etsy order. I hope you will tell your friends and loved ones about this, hopefully make a purchase, and support GGAS! Thank you!
About Alan: Alan is a biologist living in California. He is broadly interested in evolution, ecology, and natural history. Most of his research has focused on the behavioral ecology of birds. To learn more about Alan’s life and work, you can go to his WEBSITE. Alan also has a BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITE, complete with his lovely photographs.
Have a birding blog you’d like to share with us? Email your 800-1200 word essays to our Communications Manager, Melissa, at mramos@goldengateaudubon.org.