Tricia Blake co-founded the Alaska Songbird Institute a dozen years ago to conserve Alaska’s song birds through ecological education and research. She has been involved with the organization’s core projects for more than two decades. Her sabbatical will afford her an opportunity to rediscover her Alaska home through walking, gardening, and connecting with the landscape. She also plans to take an immersive Spanish class and to travel to her hometown in New England to visit family. She hopes her time away will allow other Institute staff to gain new perspective on their roles and to step into increased leadership of their projects.