Archbold Biological Station Receives $2 Million Gift From K. Lisa Yang Supporting Florida Scrub-Jay Research

December 4, 2021

Archbold Biological Station in Venus, Florida, has announced a $2 million gift from philanthropist K. Lisa Yang in support of bird research with a focus on the threatened Florida scrub-jay.

The gift will establish the position of John W. Fitzpatrick Director of Avian Ecology in honor of the former Archbold executive director, current board member, and research associate. Since 1972, a significant part of Fitzpatrick’s work has been studying the behavior, ecology, and conservation genetics of the threatened Florida scrub jay. He recently retired after twenty-six years as director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Reed Bowman, who has worked at Archbold for thirty years, has been appointed the inaugural John W. Fitzpatrick Director of Avian Ecology.

Yang holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BS from Cornell University, where she serves on the board of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a life member of the Cornell University trustee council, and member of the dean’s advisory council for Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations School.

“Today, we celebrate Lisa Yang for tying together the threads of her philanthropic generosity in such a remarkable fashion,” said Archbold executive director Hilary Swain. “She loves birds. She holds Dr. John Fitzpatrick in the highest esteem. She is committed to science and technology. And she has a burgeoning interest in the work conducted by Archbold. We offer Lisa our eternal gratitude, and we are excited that her generosity will inspire others worldwide to support and sustain Archbold’s work. Truly her gift to Archbold is a gift that will keep on giving: she couldn’t be more inspirational.”

(Photo credit: BusinessWire)
Source: PND

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