Greetings All,
As I am no longer an OBOL subscriber, I've asked Shawneen to share this to the
list.
As nearly everyone in this forum can probably appreciate, the Malheur
occupation has taken a toll on many of us and surely caused some reactions that
produced undesired results. Over the past week I've upset some folks in this
forum, including members of the Oregon Birders Association Board and apparently
at least one of the moderators. Was it worth it? No. At the same time I've
received many private emails thanking me for my thoughtful sharing on OBOL and
the BOO forum. Two groups of people reading the same posts and having
distinctly different reactions to them demonstrates just how variable and
fragile perceptions can be. Unfortunately, the Internet provides us with a
wonderful tool for making ourselves misunderstood and misinterpreted.
Over the years I have valued OBOL as a community and hopefully my good
contributions to it outweigh the occasions when I've made a nuisance of
myself...like last week. In the interest of reducing the things in my life that
cause the worst part of my personality to occasionally poke through, I have
been stepping away from some activities and involvements that have occupied my
life for many years. I've decided that it's time for OBOL to join that list. My
vision for this forum doesn't exactly mesh with the vision many others seem to
have for it. The OBA membership and board are ultimately footing the bill to
keep the lights on, thus it's their right to set the rules of engagement for
this community and I respect that. I have many valued friendships in the Oregon
birding community. It is not worth jeopardizing or compromising those
relationships through my occasional missteps on OBOL.
I always welcome chances to answer ID questions and weigh in on interesting
status and distribution questions, so don't hesitate to reach out to me
privately (llsdirons@xxxxxxx) with queries on such issues. Further, this coming
Memorial Day Weekend I will be at Malheur as usual. Shawneen and I plan to do a
big sit from Lilly's memorial bench on one day during the long weekend
(probably Sunday). If you happen to be there yourself, stop by say to hello or
introduce yourself and linger long enough to spot a distant raptor that we can
add to our day list.
Good birding,
Dave Irons
