Award-Winning Volunteers

Houston Audubon has a staff of less than 25 people and over 500 active volunteers, so to say that volunteers are important to our mission is an understatement. Houston Audubon relies on volunteers every day of the year to help us with education, restoration, administration and everything and anything you can imagine.

Each year we celebrate the contributions of these valued volunteers at a picnic at the Edith L. Moore log cabin. On top of recognizing the work of all volunteers collectively, each year we select one (and sometimes two) distinguished volunteers who went above and beyond to support our work in a way that stood out to staff and board members, who we honor with the Laura Singleton Exceptional Volunteer Award*.

Mary Spolyar - Laura Singleton Exceptional Volunteer for 2024

Mary Spolyar and Jed Aplaca

Houston Audubon is proud to recognize Mary Spolyar as the recipient of the Laura Singleton Exceptional Volunteer Award for 2024.

Mary embodies the values that Laura Singleton so beautifully represented—collaboration, inclusion, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to conservation. Mary is a beloved regular at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary’s Natives Nursery, where she has contributed over thousands of hours helping to grow out plants for habitat restoration efforts across the region. A Texas Gulf Coast Master Naturalist and member of the Native Plant Society of Texas – Houston Chapter, Mary also teaches plant knowledge for the Native Landscape Certification Program and volunteers her time with the Houston Arboretum and Nature Discovery Center. In all her work, she brings deep curiosity, sharp observation skills, and a huge heart for native plants, pollinators, and people.

Those who nominated Mary described her as welcoming, warm, and more than once, brilliant. In addition to her plant knowledge, she’s known for her generosity of spirit—always willing to answer questions, lend a hand, and celebrate life’s little moments. (If you’ve ever been invited to the nursery for a “bubbles break,” you probably know what I mean.)

Mary leads quietly but powerfully—by showing up, by sharing what she knows, and by bringing others along with her. We are so lucky to have her in our community.

On behalf of all of us at Houston Audubon, thank you, Mary, for everything you do to support birds, habitat, and the people who care for them.

*Laura Singleton

The Laura Singleton Exceptional Volunteer Award is an annual tribute and memorial to Laura Singleton, a long-time Houston Audubon volunteer who passed away in 2002. The criteria for the award mirrors what Laura herself represented - the best of volunteerism. Laura was collaborative, inclusive and flexible in getting people to work together. She never hesitated to ask others to help, and because she approached everyone with enthusiasm and good humor, people responded in kind. Although she could see the obstacles, she typically proceeded without hesitation to think up seven or eight ways to overcome them. She is still greatly missed by all of us at Houston Audubon, and we take great pleasure in honoring her and other exceptional volunteers each year.

Laura Singleton Exceptional Volunteers