Date: 2/26/26 8:30 am From: <aj...> Subject: [ia-bird] Katchemak Bay Shorebird Festival Award
Iowa Birders -
For those who have been around awhile, you will remember that Tim Schantz was a staple in Iowa birding and the IOU. He attended Simpson College and eventually became the park ranger at Marion County's Cordova Park on Lake Red Rock. Tim became one of Iowa's top birders, finding many rarities and serving on the IOU Records Committee, before moving to Alaska to lead birding trips to remote islands. He passed away suddenly in 2001 at the age of 36 while leading one of these trips. His family formed a foundation to award a scholarship each year to spend a week in Homer, Alaska at the Katchemak Bay Shorebird Festival. See the Schantz Brothers Foundation <https://schantzbird.org/> site for details. I have had the honor of being part of the selection committee for all these years.
I am pleased to announce that, twenty-five years after we lost Tim, another passionate young Iowa birder has been selected as this year's recipient. He is Seth Breeding from Winterset (where the Schantz parents still live). Seth is a student at ISU. You can read more about him on the web site.
