Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Loss is always a tough thing. When someone who shares your passion dies it is even tougher. I knew Gene Mauldin from my Palmetto Pro Birder classes, which he attended way beyond the four modules required for certification. For the past three year he’d been a regular attendee–someone I could count on seeing and adding his own wry smile and exceptional observational skills to the weekend birding modules from Upstate warblering to coastal shorebirding. He was the consummate student who taught us all a great deal. Gene was such an easy-going and knowledgeable soul. His pace was always deliberate and slow. There wasn’t much that escaped his notice. He birded, hiked, paddled and hunted the SC Lowcountry with a passion that will thrive long beyond the life he lived. He understood the vital need for connecting the conservation dots and worked to link them in so many ways. I’ll miss his gentle presence and his love for all things wild. Lifting my bins to you, Gene Mauldin. I’ll think of you next time a swallow-tailed kite floats over flooded timber.