Seattle Post Itelligencer Obituary
Kevin Li, 1956-2006: He brought purple martin back to area
Friday, February 3, 2006
By GORDY HOLT
P-I REPORTER
There may not be a birder or a naturalist in all of the Puget Sound area who did not know -- or know of -- Kevin Li, a friend to creatures big and small, but especially to the United States' biggest swallow, the hand-sized, beleaguered purple martin.
"He was the man who brought them back to
A biologist and water-quality specialist in the King County Department of Natural Resources, Li died Sunday while scuba diving near the Keystone ferry dock on the west side of Whidbey Island.
Li's longtime companion, Kris Baker, a Magnolia Library employee, was at work when she got the call.
She said the captain and crew from the ferry Klickitat went to Li's rescue after seeing him struggle against the current, try to haul himself and his equipment onto jetty rocks, then slump and tumble back into the water.
A heart attack is the suspected cause of death, but has not been confirmed.
Li turned 50 Jan. 5 while he and Baker were vacationing in
But it was the purple martin, not the sea cucumber, that consumed his zeal in recent years.
Jacobsen bears the responsibility, he said.
About 10 years ago, he wrote a piece for the local Audubon Society magazine that urged a campaign to bring back the bird, gone from much of the region since the 1940s.
"Kevin saw the article and called me," Jacobsen said. "Next thing I knew, he was the one who had became the parent to these purple birds. And he was so good at it that I just couldn't be envious."
Most of the work involved building, collecting and placing special birdhouses in places where purple martins are likely to flit, usually by water.
To see examples of Li's birdhouses, check out the pilings near Ray's Cafe off the entrance to the
"He never had to recruit people to help him," said Jonathan Frodge, a
"People wanted to go out with him."
Born and raised in
While in high school, he had worked in the invertebrate lab at the Smithsonian. He went on to participate in an Audubon Society puffin recovery project in
Word of his death spread at a frantic pace over Tweeters, the
E-mailer Dennis Paulson helped spread the word with a message that included this note about Li's work on behalf of purple martins: "He had help from many others, but I think Kevin, by his enthusiasm and many hours of hard work, can be single-handedly credited (with) turning around the decline of (this) charismatic species."
Survivors include Baker, his partner of 10 years; a brother, Christopher Li of
A memorial service is set for 6 p.m. today at the
In lieu of flowers, donations may go to the Georgia Basin Ecological Assessment and Restoration Society. For details, e-mail blue_firetail@yahoo.com.
P-I reporter Gordy Holt can be reached at 206-448-8356 or gordyholt@seattlepi.com.
© 1998-2006 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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