In 2011, the TAS board voted to formally name the 2.2-acre campus the society occupies on Sunset Drive in honor of longtime environmentalist, birder and board member Alan Steinberg. Our grounds, comprised of rare Pine Rockland and Hardwood Hammock and a Bird-friendly Demonstration Garden, have since been known as the Steinberg Nature Center. It was so dedicated in March 2012 in acknowledgement of Steinberg’s significant contributions — both financial and pro bono — over more than 30 years of service to Tropical Audubon.

The near-native grounds encompass self-guided Nature Trails and picnic areas ideal for educational seminars and fundraising events. Volunteer work parties regularly scour the property for invasive species and maintain butterfly gardens, understory plantings and a plethora of trees that serve as food and shelter for migrating birds. Indeed, the Steinberg Nature Center serves as a significant green island in a vast sea of suburbs and concrete. Birds seeking safe haven and nourishment can readily hopscotch here from the University of Miami Arboretum, which lies just one mile north as the crow flies. Green islands such as ours and UM’s are critical to species survival.

In Memoriam

Tropical Audubon Society’s longtime board member and Steinberg Nature Center patron Alan Wolfe Steinberg died June 14, 2021, of natural causes at age 93. He was interred in Miami at Mount Nebo Cemetery. Alan will be remembered fondly and deeply missed by his Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) colleagues.

The Coral Gables resident joined the TAS board in 1980 and is its longest-serving member. Among his countless contributions, the founder of The Alan W. Steinberg Limited Partnership helped grow the TAS endowment and also made a significant contribution toward conservation education and grounds upkeep in 2012, at which time the campus was renamed Steinberg Nature Center.

Alan is remembered here by TAS President José Francisco Barros…

“Alan Steinberg was a treasured and longtime friend of Tropical Audubon Society, and to me. He made me feel right at home when I first joined the board in 1992. We enjoyed each other's company immensely, whether we were hashing out organization business, birding, dining or traveling. When I took on the role of president of this conservation organization in 2002, he was there for me then, and has been there for me every step of the way ever since, kindly counseling me with his sage advice and offering his generous support.

Over the decades, we grew closer as friends. After discovering that my wife, Helen, and I share the same wedding anniversary with he and his late wife, Sue, we never missed the chance to celebrate the date together. Also an annual affair, he and Sue graciously hosted a group of birders every year on their big, beautiful boat, "The Sporty Pelican," enabling us to canvas Biscayne Bay and Fisher Island in style for the Miami Christmas Bird Count.

As a board member, Alan guided our organization with sound fiscal advice, which gave us financial stability and enabled us to continue to grow. I learned so much from Alan over the years about bird art, bird books and the importance of charity. He and Sue valued education greatly, and for that reason we have the Steinberg Nature Center grounds as an educational platform, which they funded to stimulate young minds on the importance and beauty of our natural environment. Tropical Audubon will profoundly miss this dearly loved gentleman.”

Banner Photo: Gulf Fritillary butterfly in Milkweed