Some of you may have already heard that long time birder, writer and photographer Ron Taube of Coon Rapids passed away on September 16th, 2020. Ron was a friend to many in the birding community including myself, who spent nearly all his time birding with others and developed an impressive wealth of information on good birding locations within the Twin Cities and beyond, which he shared willingly.
Ron was an avid member of a local writers group based also in Coon Rapids, and a frequent contributor to ABC Newspapers with his "Talking Nature <https://www.hometownsource.com/search/?l=25&s=start_time&sd=desc&f=html&t=article%2Cvideo%2Cyoutube%2Ccollection&app=editorial&nsa=eedition&q=Ron+Taube>" columns. He was an impassioned photographer <https://www.flickr.com/photos/ronsthoughts> of birds, butterflies and more, teaching myself and others to always "shoot first and ask questions later" as a method of learning more about your subject. In his last years, Ron assumed a teaching role for a community education birding class, bequeathed to him by retired Anoka High School Biology teacher and friend Lyle Bradley. Ron's passing leaves many of his closest birding friends heartbroken and we wish to recognize his name and spirit with the dedication of a memorial bench at Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley. If Ron touched your life in any way, we invite you to contribute to this effort via this gofundme <https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-memorial-bench-for-ron-taube?member=5866454&utm_medium=email&utm_source=product&utm_campaign=p_email%2Binviteacceptedemailtoteammember> page. Ron's obituary here: https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000368664/ Thank you and happy birding, Travis Bonovsky, Brooklyn Center, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
