Erickson wins award

Minnesota's Laura Erickson has won the American Birding Association's highest honor, its Roger Tory Peterson Award, in honor of "a lifetime of achievements in promoting the cause of birding."

Erickson, says the ABA, has reached out to nonbirders and birders alike for many years to encourage interest in birds through the publication of numerous books, a popular radio program (on the air since 1986), speaking engagements and many magazine articles. She is a former contributor to the Star Tribune's Birding page and is a gifted photographer.

She has authored many books, including the "National Geographic Pocket Guide to Birds of North America," "The Bird Watching Answer Book," "101 Ways to Help Birds" and "Sharing the Wonder of Birds With Kids." She maintains two blogs, Laura's Birding Blog and Laura's Conservation Big Year.

Val Cunningham