2024 COS Conservation Fundraiser Recap

A few of the individuals responsible for making the 2024 COS Conservation Fundraiser a success: Edward Warden, Joe Marshall, Cristina Warnock, Jake Vinsel, Sam Burckhardt, and Marty Flynn.

words by Margie Griggs

Chicago Ornithological Society’s 2024 Conservation Fundraiser at Bassline on Saturday, June 22 was a fun night of music, art, community, and birds. Over 100 people attended the fundraiser, enjoying drinks, the music of The Sam Burckhardt Quartet, and fabulous bird photography by COS members and volunteers. 

The Sam Burckhardt Quartet performs at the 2024 COS Conservation Fundraiser.

The silent auction was another highlight of the evening. Attendees were able to browse  items donated by COS board members, local artists and photographers, as well as by an array of businesses and organizations. Some of the prizes for the silent auction included bird walks led by COS board members, a private jazz trio concert, a cicada art package, a certificate for a class at Old Town School of Folk Music, a photo workshop led by Jorge Garcia, and a bird drawing workshop led by Kelly Ballantyne. There was also a raffle that included fun items and events such as Chicago Botanic Garden passes, Chicago Cubs tickets, Field Museum tickets, Piping Plover Glassware, REI-Nocs Binoculars, and COS-exclusive Year of the Peregrine gear. 

The crowd mingles and peruses the auction items at the 2024 COS Conservation Fundraiser.

The winners of the raffle and silent auction items were announced at the end of the night, and based on the crowd’s anticipation, the fundraiser was a huge success. All funds raised go directly to supporting COS’s bird conservation projects, such as the purchasing of native shrubs for restoration projects, mist nets for the banding station, and many other projects with immediate impact. This evening would not have been possible without the support of so many members of the COS community.