Where: Mass Audubon Headquarters, Lincoln
Who: Massachusetts transplant by way of Florida and New York. Raising two young girls, who she hopes will be budding naturalists
Favorite part of the job: Learning something new every day from some of the smartest and most enthusiastic groups of people
A paradise for birders, Colombia has the highest bird species count of any country in the world, with well over 1,900 species. Mass Audubon’s Bertrand Chair of Ornithology Joan Walsh and ornithologist, author, and artist David Sibley recently led 11 travelers on a 12-day Mass Audubon Natural History Travel adventure through the mountains and rainforests of Central Colombia, where they saw a total of 400 species.
Crimson-rumped Toucanet A lake in the Central Andes, near the Los Nevados National Park. Masked TrogonChestnut-napped Antpitta eating out of guide David Sibley’s hand.Spectacled Owl
When nature heroes come together, what they can accomplish is simply amazing. They can fight for and get environmental legislation passed. They can protect at-risk wildlife and the habitats they rely on. They can encourage young kids to connect with nature and enable college students to pursue careers in the environment.
Just take a look at a few of the ways Mass Audubon’s 125,000 members made a difference this year.
→ NATURE HEROES like you helped protect an additional 923 acres of land, bringing Mass Audubon’s total to 38,004 acres of conserved land.
→ NATURE HEROES like you helped create and maintain 255 miles of trails across 58 wildlife sanctuaries.
→ NATURE HEROES like you supported 47 scientific research studies that use our sanctuaries as outdoor laboratories to better understand our natural world.
→ NATURE HEROES like you provided scholarships for 1,211 summer campers attending one of our 19 day camps and Wildwood overnight camp.
→ NATURE HEROES likeyou inspired 45 Coastal Waterbird staff who monitor 183 sites over 140miles of nesting habitat for Piping Plovers, terns, and American Oystercatchers.
→ NATURE HEROES like you advocated for 173 communities to adopt the Community Preservation Act (CPA) since we successfully helped write and pass this legislation 18 years ago.
→ NATURE HEROES like you attended one of 7 Climate Cafes, a judgment-free, informal environment for people to discuss climate change solutions with their peers.
→ NATURE HEROES like you submitted 2,054 firefly observations during the inaugural year of Firefly Watch. These reports came from 37 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.
We recognize that today, more than ever, the stakes are high and that it’s critically important to enlist the help of nature heroes across Massachusetts. Environmental safeguards are being rolled back, conservation is underfunded across the country, and climate change looms large.
But, there is hope. And, that hope is in the people, like you, who can and will do something to ensure a resilient, healthy, and even more beautiful world.
