In memory of Ken Voget

“May the birds whisper his name”

Ken Voget, our dear friend and colleague, passed away on December 6, 2020. Upon the request of his wife, we created the Ken Voget Memorial Fund to pass on his legacy of bird conservation, bird banding, and conservation education. Ken served in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Refuge system throughout his career, where he established himself as a critical partner in bird conservation in Nevada, and managed some of our most important natural resources. After he retired, he worked at GBBO’s Truckee River migration banding station as a master bander and a beloved teacher of banding and birding skills.

The Ken Voget Memorial Fund will dedicate 100% of its donations to a program designed to teach Nevada’s bird enthusiasts with the goal of recruiting future bird banders and, thus, continue Ken’s legacy of teaching banders and deepening their understanding of bird conservation in Nevada.

We encourage all donors to leave their thoughts and memories of Ken, along with their donation, which we will keep as a public tribute to Ken as part of this Memorial Fund.

Donate

Fall 2023 Banding Workshop

On September 23-24, GBBO hosted our 2nd banding workshop at McCarran Ranch with funds raised from the Ken Voget Memorial Fund. It was slow first day, but things ramped up during day 2 and everyone had a chance to handle birds! Species banded during the workshop were Lincoln’s Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Bewick’s Wren, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Audubon’s Warbler. Thank you to all of our supporters and workshop attendees. We are looking forward to the next one!

-Kayla Henry

Spring 2023 Banding Workshop

On May 13-14, 2023, GBBO hosted a banding workshop at McCarran Ranch geared towards undergrads and young professionals. This workshop was made possible by the Ken Voget Memorial Fund.

All participants got the chance to handle and release birds. In total, we had 21 new bands and 16 recaptures! Species banded during the workshop were Yellow-breasted Chat, Red-winged Blackbird, Song Sparrow, House Wren, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Bushtit, Wilson’s Warbler, and Lesser Goldfinch. The warblers wowed, the impressively small Bushtit and Lesser Goldfinch drew smiles, and the Yellow-breasted Chat was a special treat. We had as much fun as the participants and can’t wait until next time!

-Ned Bohman

Messages:

Passion and kindness - the best teacher and friend.

-Jeanne & Kevin

Ken was a wildlife champion through his career and all through his retirement. He was a fine person and I always admired him. May his inspiring legacy live on for the benefit of all wildlife.

-Niki McQueary

There was nothing better than arriving at Torrence Ranch or the McCarran Ranch and find Ken there with his rig set up for days of banding. I'll miss catching up with him about what birds have shown up and what's passed our way in life. He was deeply committed to the desert, Nevada and birds. We'll miss him.

-Graham Chisholm

My brother, Ken Voget, was a consummate bird lover at a very early age. Bird watching was one of his favorite pastimes. At the age of 10 he finally got a bird of his own… a pet parakeet named Ike. He spent hours teaching Ike to do tricks which even earned him an appearance on a local TV show. Another time Ike flew out of the house and landed on the top of a very tall fir tree in his back yard. As only Ken would do, he took a mirror off the wall and spent nearly a whole day coaxing his precious pet to come back to him. He had two African love birds and a cockatoo as a teenager but none as precious as Ike. His career in the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service kept him close to his passion for birds, always affording him the opportunity to be involved in all things bird related… bird counts, bird banding, conservation, education, etc. Even in his retirement , he eagerly trekked into the desert finding the perfect spot to maximize his success in finding birds “passing through” that may have never been seen in that location, painstakingly recording each one , often camping out for several days. His love of drawing is also reflected in many of his official and unofficial bird reports. He even had a bird tattooed on the calf of his leg….probably 30 years BEFORE tattooing was commonplace. His grandchildren even called him “Grandpa Bird.” Ken was an avid backpacker and lover of the outdoors. When hiking, his eyes were always trained upward with an uncanny ability to spot the most obscure little bird imaginable. He is from a family of foresters who were always focused on the trees, while Ken enriched our hikes with his bird watching. A very expensive pair of binoculars was always hanging around his neck adding more weight to his already heavy load but for him it was essential equipment. One visit to his home in Las Vegas he took us into his garage where he was nursing an injured hawk. He tenderly cared for that “mean hawk” feeding it raw meat for I am sure several weeks until he released it back where he had found it…out in the desert. I will forever be in awe of Ken’s bird banding work. The time it took to set up the nets and take them down twice a day, day after day! He had to deal with deer and wild horses damaging his nets. But most impressive was the way he handled each and every bird he caught, as he tenderly held each bird, painstakingly documenting all the pertinent information, banding them, carefully weighing them in an envelope, and gently releasing them back into the wild. All this data was recorded by hand into ledgers he later converted to a computer file. There were no laptops recording data in the field. I am sure Ken Voget has banded several thousand birds. Ken has to have been a vanishing breed. Let us hope and pray that others will be inspired by his work and seek to continue his legacy.

Submitted with love and respect, Barbara Miller, Ken’s sister.

-Barbara and Elwood Miller

He was known to my family as a kind, caring father.

-Ada McArthur

We know how dear this was to Ken's heart. We know it won't fill the void, but we hope it makes the loss easier to bear knowing his memory and devotion will on.

-Janice and Chuck Denney, Kim Trehal, Laura Velvick

Rest in Peace, my friend

-Emily Shull

Ken was a good friend. We spent a lot of fun times with him on Hart Mountain, Sheldon NWR and Warner Canyon Ski Hill when we were all in Lakeview. This memorial will be a wonderful tribute to something Ken loved doing.

-Dave and Daryce Franzen

What a legacy for a true lover of birds and conservation. Wish you all well continuing this worthy effort in Ken's memory.

-Jane Gibson

In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence. -- Robert Lynd

Rest in Peace, Ken Voget

-Dee Buchanon

In Ken's memory.

-Lucy Bonman

God speed

-Ronda and Pete Black

Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day. Unheard but always near still loved still missed and very dear.

Ken Voget Memorial Fund