Jim Bonner to retire as head of Audubon Society of Western Pa.

When Jim Bonner retires next month as executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, he plans to steal away to the massive woodshop in the basement of his 1885 Victorian home in Tarentum.

“That’s probably where you’ll find me,” said Bonner, who is stepping down after 21 years.

Audubon is headquartered at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel, on a 134-acre Dorseyville Road sanctuary.

“As much as I still love my job, I want to take time to do some other things,” he said. “I like to make furniture, and I’d like to maybe connect with Habitat for Humanity and get some of the pieces to people in need.

“There are projects in my community that I’d like to pursue, and I’d also like to have some fun and travel. It just seemed like the right time.”

A native of the Mon Valley, Bonner graduated from the University of Pittsburgh but never intended to carve his path in the wild. Living early on in the city’s Highland Park neighborhood, Bonner spent 10 years in the electronic security business working for the company that is now Vector. His journey took him temporarily to the West Coast before his wife, Leslie, requested to return to her hometown of Tarentum.

He spent one of his first days back exploring the Aviary-Conservatory on Pittsburgh’s North Side (prior to it being renamed the National Aviary).

“I remember it well. It was an afternoon, there was hardly anyone there and I had a great time,” Bonner said. “I picked up a volunteer form on the way out and got very active with them.”

So active, in fact, that he returned to the University of Pittsburgh to earn his bachelor’s degree in natural sciences and was hired at the Aviary as a vet technician.

“I eventually became the curator and was part of the team that helped take it private in 1992,” he said.

From there, Bonner became executive director of the Humane Animal Rescue, where he helped fundraise for the new shelter on the city’s North Side. In 2004, he settled into his role at Audubon, with an office overlooking Beechwood’s trails, field and stream.

“I do have the best office,” Bonner said. “I remember coming out of covid, everything shut down but nature. We had more people than ever. But the following year, when things started opening back up, there was something about seeing school buses in our parking lot that was so wonderful.

“Seeing people come here and engage with nature brings me great joy.”

Audubon board President Jim Pashek said Bonner has raised the bar for environmental education and for understanding the importance of nature in daily life.

“You can see it in the children’s programs, the total immersion there,” Pashek said. “My 5-year-old grandson went to camp this summer and loved it. There’s such an important role for the organization to play, and Jim has built it up significantly.”

Bonner has helped expand Audubon with the addition in recent years of Succop Nature Park in Penn Township and Buffalo Creek Nature Park in Buffalo Township.

Succop is a 50-acre former farm estate with about two miles of trails and two ponds. An 1883 barn was renovated for programs and amenities.

Buffalo Creek comprises six acres and sits adjacent to the 21.5-mile Buffalo-Freeport Community Trail.

“(Bonner) was handed a wonderful legacy, but he’s also built it up,” Pashek said.

He cited Audubon’s Chimney Swift Tower initiative, which is among the largest in the country. Nearly 150 structures serve as a roosting and nesting habitat to help the birds designated as near-threatened since 2010.

“Raising the consciousness of what’s going on with birds and loss of wildlife and the importance of that, and providing habitat, is pretty amazing,” Pashek said.

For his impact, Bonner was honored Aug. 7 with the Walt Pomeroy Conservation Award during a ceremony in Villanova.

Looking forward to retirement, he joked that he probably won’t see much downtime. Bonner and his wife have worked since the early 1990s restoring their home that sits on the hill in West Tarentum.

They’ve replaced the porches, the windows and more in the house built by Artemus Pitcairn, the manager of PPG’s first plant in East Deer.

Another of his passions? Picking up litter, Bonner said.

“I just hate to see trash along the roads,” he said, adding he served for years as board chair of the nonprofit Keep PA Beautiful. “I’m happy to spend a few hours every day walking and picking it up. I hope Tarentum will be prettier and cleaner for it.”

Bonner also serves as chair of the borough’s environmental advisory council, as a member of the planning committee and is integral in the community’s Bird Town program, which he spearheaded to help restore bird habitat through native gardens, Chimney Swift Towers and more.

Carrie Fox, Tarentum recreation board president, has worked with Bonner for years.

She called him a go-getter and said “he is dedicated to everything he touches.”

“When an idea comes his way, he dives right in,” Fox said. “He is always looking for ways to improve the borough.”

Deciding to retire wasn’t an easy choice, Bonner said, but he’s satisfied.

“There’s lots of different ways to make money, and if you can do something you enjoy, that’s the best thing,” Bonner said. “I’ve been fortunate to follow my passion.”