At the Cornell Lab I am involved in two projects, Nest Quest Go! and the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Throughout the year I work with NestWatch as the project leader for Nest Quest Go! NestWatch has over 300,000 handwritten nest records going back well before the digital age, and these provide valuable historical nesting data for a variety of North American Birds. Nest Quest Go! was created as a crowd-sourced project on Zooniverse where we engage citizen-scientists to help transcribe this historic nest records collection. Once the data is transcribed and digitized we can analyze this 30+ year data-set to better understand the lives of nesting birds and how bird populations have changed over time.

My second position is project leader for the Great Backyard Bird Count. The “GBBC” is an annual February event that has united birdwatchers from around the world for over 20 years. For one weekend, we ask citizen scientists to submit their bird observations from their home or in their community. My background is in environmental education, and the GBBC is a great way to engage backyard bird watchers and help guide people in creating bird-friendly homes and yards. I originally found my way to the Cornell Lab by working on a project called Habitat Network that taught people about creating habitat at home and in their communities to better support birds and other wildlife, and I feel like this is an important aspect of supporting our backyard birds.

Education:

M.S., Environmental Studies, Antioch University
B.A., Anthropology, Sonoma State University

Beyond the Lab:

I am an avid gardener, for both my family and the birds! I create abundant, beautiful gardens to feed my family and the wildlife in my region.