Receiving a request from a stranger for help identifying a bird is quite commonplace for Barb and Mark Gorges.
“About 50% of the time, they are describing a Northern Flicker,” Barb explained.
For over 32 years, the Gorges have shared their wealth of knowledge about biology, conservation and ecology through programs, field trips, articles and books.
“People come to our programs or on a field trip with us and hopefully get hooked into birdwatching a little bit more,” Barb said.
The couple’s passion for conservation and wildlife led them to join the Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society Chapter when they moved to Cheyenne in 1989. Together, they have held nearly every office existing in the chapter, sometimes more than once.
Founded in 1974, the chapter promotes conservation and appreciation of birds through education and habitat stewardship in southeast Wyoming. Today, the chapter has approximately 148 members.
When it comes to working in the trenches, the Gorges are the first to volunteer, whether it is planning new gardens or caring for Habitat Hero Demonstration gardens in the city, explained chapter member Lorie Chesnut in her nomination of the Gorges as Unsung Heroes.
Their enthusiasm for nature has been the motivating force for the chapter and other groups, Chesnut added.
They are the chapter’s primary contact for persons interested in bird identification, behavior, conservation and where to bird in the region. The couple also recruits regionally and nationally known speakers for the chapter’s conferences and programs, and organize field trips.
“Barb and Mark have carried the chapter on their shoulders for a number of years, keeping us solvent, successful and vital as an organization,” Chesnut wrote.
Chestnut called the Gorges cheerleaders for the chapter and Cheyenne’s best emissaries, attracting newcomers to the area.
When Chesnut and her husband decided to move to Wyoming in 2016, they contacted the local Audubon chapter. Barb responded to their query, patiently answering their questions about living here.
“Once we relocated to Cheyenne, Mark and Barb were wonderful hosts, making us feel at home and counseling us about how to make the most of our new Wyoming adventure,” Chesnut wrote.
Their experience was not unique, Chesnut said. Several people have moved to Cheyenne after talking to the Gorges and learning about the opportunities for hiking, birding and wildlife viewing here.
For the Gorges, their passion for the outdoors started early.
Barb had visions of spending her career outside after graduating with a degree in natural resource management from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. A series of seasonal jobs led Barb to the West and eventually to Montana, where she met Mark.
Growing up in New York state, Mark said his interest in the outdoors started with family fishing and camping trips and being in the Boy Scouts.
After graduating college with a degree in biology, Mark served in the U.S. Navy for three years.
Mark then headed West to pursue a graduate degree in fish and wildlife management at Montana State University in Bozeman. After obtaining his degree, he worked in fisheries in Wyoming and Montana and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Washington state.
The couple met in Miles City, Montana, where they both worked for the Bureau of Land Management. They moved to Cheyenne 32 years ago, when Mark took the position of wildlife fisheries biologist at the state BLM office.
Barb pursued her interests in writing, teaching and quilting while raising their children. She taught quilting at Laramie County Community College for about 15 years and launched a small business making quilting labels.
Her first book, “Quilt Care, Construction and Use: How to Help Your Quilt Live to 100,” was based on columns she wrote for the Wyoming State Quilt Guild’s newsletter.
While volunteering to write press releases for the local Audubon Chapter, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle outdoors editor asked Barb to pen a column on birdwatching in 1999. She continued that for many years and began writing a gardening column for the newspaper about 10 years ago.
She and local photographer Pete Arnold also collaborated on a newspaper column dedicated to a bird of the week for two years. Then, they transformed the columns into a book, “Cheyenne Birds by the Month: 104 Species of Southeastern Wyoming’s Resident and Visiting Birds.”
Most recently, Barb published her third book, “Cheyenne Garden Gossip: Locals Share Secrets for High Plains Gardening Success.” The book details insights from more than 100 Cheyenne gardeners she interviewed.
Gardening is another aspect of birding that the Gorges encourage. Both are Laramie County Master Gardeners and serve on the Audubon Rockies’ Habitat Hero Committee. Mark also volunteers regularly at the Paul Smith Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. He does all sorts of horticultural and regular gardening work.
The couple’s connection to Master Gardeners became a perfect fit with the Audubon’s cultivation of natural habitat for birds, Mark said. The Audubon’s Habitat Hero program provides resources to create bird habitats. By planting bird-friendly gardens with native plants, communities can help conserve birds.
The native flowers attract the pollinators, which attract the birds as a food source, Mark said.
The Gorges have helped secure national Audubon grants to create Habitat Hero Demonstration Gardens at the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities and Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. Many additional volunteers have helped plant and care for the gardens.
Because of the Gorges’ efforts, thousands of dollars have been awarded to the Audubon Chapter, bringing beauty and knowledge to the residents of Laramie, Goshen and Platte counties, Chesnut added.
The Gorges love connecting people to nature and encouraging a better understanding of the impact of habitat on bird conservation.
“Birdwatching is kind of a gateway to thinking about environmental issues and the impact of choices we make,” Barb explained.
Anyone interested in learning more about the birds in the region or joining the chapter should visit cheyenneaudubon.org, Barb said.
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