Laura Garey is the new Franklin County Shorebird Field Technician and she will monitor shorebird breeding and conduct winter bird sur-veys. Laura recently graduated from University of Maine with an M.S. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences studying food-web dynamics and community structure of northeastern U.S. tidal marshes. In addition, she conducted demographic surveys for Saltmarsh and Nelson's Spar-rows as part of her collaboration with the Saltmarsh Habitat and Avian Research Program (SHARP).

Audubon Florida Permanent Staff

Jeff Liechty is the new Tampa Bay Area Rooftop Technician responsible for surveys and volunteer management primarily in Pinellas County. He received a M.S. in marine and environmental biology from Nicholls State University where he did his thesis on adult survival and diet of Royal and Sandwich terns on the Isles Dernieres Barrier Islands Refuge in Louisi-ana.

Holley Short is the new Pinellas Shorebird Project Manager overseeing staff that monitor and steward beach and rooftop-nesting birds and sur-vey nonbreeding shorebirds in the fall, winter and spring in the Tampa Bay region. Holley coordinated Audubon’s Sarasota Stewardship pro-gram and Pinellas nonbreeding shorebird surveys for two years. Previ-ously, she worked in Snowy Plover research in Panhandle Florida Parks and with Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. Holley hails from Eustis, Florida and has a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from University of Flori-da.

I n early 2017 two core partners of the Florida Shorebird Alliance received much needed support for

shorebird conservation across the state. Audubon Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Commission were awarded National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Gulf Environmental Benefit Funds in

order to continue hard won shorebird conservation momentum that was developed during the last dec-

ade. With this new opportunity the Florida Shorebird Alliance is strategically filling critical positions that am-

plify our efforts to monitor shorebird populations, protect beach-nesting bird sites, educate beach-goers, and

adaptively manage within dynamic coastal conditions.

The Florida Shorebird Alliance is founded upon an extensive network of volunteers and a small group of dedi-

cated staff. Without you, Florida’s shorebirds and seabirds would face insurmountable odds. But because of

you, they are given a good chance to thrive. With that, we are delighted to introduce some of the new staff

who recently joined the Florida Shorebird Alliance flock...

Audubon Florida 2017 Seasonal Staff

Tiffany Briggs is our new Anchor Steward for the Fort Myers Beach Shorebird Steward Program. She is from Cape Coral and is currently attending Florida Gulf Coast University for a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Biol-ogy. Last summer she collected sea turtle nesting data for FWC at Cayo Cos-ta State Park and this summer she will do her senior thesis on Snowy Plovers nesting at Bunche Beach.

Denise Burridge focuses on shorebird sites along Navarre and Pensacola Beaches as the Navarre anchor steward. Denise moved to NW Florida with her family after her husband was stationed at Hurlburt Field. Denise started volunteering with Audubon FL due to her interest in wildlife and quickly be-came excited about citizen science and how ordinary people can help con-servation efforts. Among her many attributes, she is also a skilled photogra-pher.

Monica Craig is a St. Petersburg, Florida native with a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Eckerd College. She has helped organize volunteers and envi-ronmental projects with various organizations in the past. This year, she will be coordinating stewardship efforts at Black Skimmer colonies as the Mid-Pinellas County Anchor Steward.

Andrea Jones is the Pensacola Beach Anchor Steward managing nesting habitat, conducting surveys, and coordinating volunteer efforts. Andrea is studying marine biology at the University of West Florida. She has a diversi-ty of volunteer and work experiences including recording bull shark and alli-gator data in Everglades National Park, research on stingrays at the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation, and environmental stewardship at Gulf Islands National Seashore where she gained experience with Florida’s beach–nesting bird stewardship.

Nikki Bennett is Audubon FL’s new Gulf Islands National Seashore anchor steward. Nikki has a B.S. in Zoology from North Carolina State University and a Master’s degree in Anthrozoology from Canisius College focusing on human-wildlife conflicts. Her passion for wildlife and care for animals does not end with her job; she has a long history of devoting time to wildlife at various sanctuaries and animal hospitals throughout the country.

Jessica Lewis is a graduate of the College of Charleston with a B.S. in Marine Biology. She has extensive experience in field research and is a great addi-tion as the Three Rooker Island Bird Stewardship Coordinator and Monitor. She will be working closely with Honeymoon State Park staff to monitor nesting shorebirds and seabirds as well as scheduling and transporting vol-unteer bird stewards to the islands.

Audubon Florida 2017 Seasonal Staff

Kealy McNeal is the South Pinellas County Anchor Steward working out of Ft. De Soto Park. She will be organizing bird stewards out on the beach while monitoring Wilson's Plover, American Oystercatcher, and other nesting shorebirds and seabirds. Kealy is a graduate of the University of Tampa with a B.S. in Environmental Science. She has much experience recruiting for and organizing environmental volunteer projects, as well as shorebird experience with Mass Audubon.

Jean Rolke is the new Northeast Florida Anchor Steward. She is recruiting and organizing stewards for beaches in Flagler, Duval, and St. Johns coun-ties. Jean has been a leading volunteer with the St. Johns Flagler Shorebird Partnership over the last 2 years and brings a talent for recruiting and en-gaging volunteers along with her stewarding experience. She is the presi-dent of St. Johns County Audubon, has worked many years in education, and has a B.S. in Biology from Old Dominion University.

Alli Smith is originally from Mount Laurel, NJ. She has a B.S. in Wildlife Sci-ence from SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syra-cuse, NY and worked seasonal positions with seabirds in Massachusetts and Maine. Alli is working half-time this season as Audubon’s Anchor Steward at Big Marco Pass CWA in Collier County and half-time for Rookery Bay NERR as an Avian Intern monitoring beach nesting birds.

Greg Taylor is originally from West Palm Beach and is working this season as Audubon’s Sarasota Monitoring and Stewardship Coordinator overseeing nesting Snowy Plovers, Least Terns, and Black Skimmers. He received a M.Sc. from San Jose State University, CA. with a research focus on altera-tion of incubation behavior of Forster’s terns, Black-necked stilts, and American avocets by mercury contamination in San Francisco Bay.

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Staff

Paula Muellner is the new Northwest Regional Shorebird Biologist based in Panama

City. Her shorebird experience began in Long Island working with piping plovers

and least terns for three year. Eventually she joined Audubon Florida and the Flori-

da Parks service to work with imperiled beach nesting birds in the panhandle. She

also worked seven years as executive director of a wildlife sanctuary where she

helped shape the future of the organization and worked closely with local, regional,

national, and international agencies to solve controversial animal advocacy issues.

Morgan Parks is the new Southwest Regional Shorebird Biologist, based in

Lakeland. She received her M.S. from North Carolina State University work-

ing with migratory and wintering shorebirds in Puerto Rico. Before that she

held field jobs in Idaho, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico. She first became fasci-

nated by water and shorebirds when visiting her family in Maine and heard

a common loon for the first time. Morgan is excited to work with the many

dedicated partners in the southwest region.

Emma LeClerc is the new Data Quality Manager for the Florida Shorebird Da-

tabase. Emma holds a Master's degree in Geography and is a self-professed

spatial data nerd. Originally from upstate New York, Emma spent the last

five years living in Newfoundland, Canada. She is excited to be joining the

team, and looks forward to working with you the diverse users of the Florida

Shorebird Database.

Cody Griffin is the new Shorebird Quantitative Analyst based out of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in Gainesville. He received his M.S. from Texas Tech University where he worked on lesser prairie-chicken habitat suitability and surviv-al analyses in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. He previously worked as a spatial epidemiologist at the University of Florida as well as other various field technician jobs. He will apply statistical analyses on data from the Florida Shore-bird Database to better inform survey guidelines and provide baseline population estimates among other projects.