Jane Braun
Remembering a valued member of our community and the SPBA Board: Jane Braun
With deep affection and respect, we remember the contributions of Jane Ellen Braun to our Saint Paul Bird Alliance, to birding, and to caring for birds and people. Jane’s favorite bird was the green heron, with its brilliant iridescence.
Jane joined the Saint Paul Bird Alliance (formerly St. Paul Audubon Society) board of directors in 2018 and brought innovation and leadership.
She worked to establish criteria for the organization to award grants in Ramsey and Washington counties for projects to protect and improve bird habitat. She served as board vice president and helped provide steady, organized leadership to this all-volunteer organization for five years. Jane was an enthusiastic, welcoming, and educational force for birding. She led or collaborated on numerous field trips; she worked to ensure that birders of all levels felt valued in the local birding community.
Her life exemplified dedication and joy. Jane Ellen Braun, daughter of Richard and Ellen Braun, succumbed to pancreatic cancer on June 26, 2026, after a courageous dance with this insidious disease. Jane was born in Detroit Lakes and raised in Columbia Heights, graduating as valedictorian of her high school class. She is the beloved sister of Catherine and brother Bill, and a friend to so many. A proud jock, she could be found on most any basketball or volleyball court, softball diamond, ice rink or golf course.
A lifelong public servant, Jane worked in a variety of roles at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Hennepin County Health Department, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). She was the State of Minnesota’s representative on the national Cancer Registry, which tracked cancer trends across the country, where she developed treasured friendships. Jane was also MDH’s Emergency Preparedness lead, working with other agencies and county public health officials to keep the public safe during epidemics, including H1N1 and Ebola, and during large events such as the 2008 Republican National Convention.
In 2015, Jane went to the MPCA to manage that agency’s emergency preparedness, remediation and closed landfill programs.
When she retired from MPCA in the spring of 2018, she used all her considerable intelligence and skills to become a passionate birder. She is currently listed in eBird as a top birder in many locations, both counties and countries. Jane voluntarily interrupted this passion in 2020 to return to MDH to assist with the State’s response to COVID, working with dedicated state and local public health officials to set up COVID testing and vaccination sites across the state and overseeing safety. Jane gave so much and made a difference for many people who never knew of her efforts. Such is the work of public health, of which she was so proud.
She traveled extensively, visiting 6 of the 7 continents. She had a deep love of the Minnesota State Fair, Xena Warrior Princess, extremely large fiberglass statues, and Bigfoot (who knew!). She could also identify where all the good bakeries were and would never pass up an opportunity to eat donuts, cake and ice cream.
Donations in Jane’s honor can be made to: Friends of Sax-Zim Bog (PO Box 3585, Duluth, MN 55803; Tucson Bird Alliance Vermilion Legacy Society (PO Box 91770, Tucson, AZ 85752 TIN #86-6053779); and the Global Penguin Society (Wildlife Conservation Network Supporting the Global Penguin Society, 209 Mississippi St., San Francisco CA 94107 EIN 30-0108469)
A celebration to honor her life, legacy and quirky nature will be held on Friday October 30 at 2 PM, with a reception to follow. Because of space constraints, we will send location information with your RSVP. If you are interested in attending, please email CelebrateJEB@gmail.com, so we can provide you with that information.
