Mass Audubon’s Fellow For Forest Birds Jeffrey Ritterson.

Jeffrey Ritterson, our new Bird Conservation Fellow for Forest Birds has been very busy since starting in September. Jeff came to us having just completed his Masters at Umass and is now working to expand our Foresters for the Birds program to new parts of the state. During the past few weeks, he has been reaching out to landowners interested in improving bird habitat in their forests and conducting walks on properties with foresters to review management options.

Additionally, as Mass Audubon embarks on a partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation to actively improve habitat for at risk forest species, he will be designing studies and monitoring protocols to assess the effectiveness of any actions. This will include studying the effects of creating early-successional forests – a rare habitat type in Massachusetts.