Our 2018 Experts - Festival Speakers and Field Trip Leaders

Connie Anderson

Canoe Trip Leader

CONNIE ANDERSON became interested in birding when she put up her first birdfeeders in 1987. She started a life list for her backyard and has recorded 58 species so far. She has participated in many Audubon field trips through the years. She participates in the Colony Watch program and helps occasionally with the Bird Rescue program. She also gardens to attract birds and butterflies. She has learned that if you create a habitat for them, they will come to your yard.

Paul J. Baicich

Author and Active Birder

PAUL J. BAICICH has been an active birder since his early teens in New York City. A former employee of the American Birding Association, he edited 14 of their "ABA Birdfinding Guides," edited Birding, ABA's bi-monthly magazine, and served as ABA's Director of Conservation and Public Policy. Paul co-edits the popular monthly Birding Community E-bulletin, writes a regular column, “Quick Takes,” for Bird Watcher’s Digest, and he is an officer in the Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp. Paul is also one of the co-authors of "Feeding Wild Birds in America: Culture, Commerce, and Conservation," and a co-author of "The Crossley ID Guide: Waterfowl."

• Link to "Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings"
• Link to "Feeding Wild Birds"
• Link to "Crossley ID Guides"
• Friends of the Stamp Website

Cindy Beckman

Cheepers! Birding Trips

CINDY BECKMAN is a retired public school teacher. Prior to founding Cheepers!, she organized and led trips for groups of as many as 70 students and parents, as well as for smaller groups of friends, family, and birders to destinations such as Ecuador, Panama, Olympic National Park, Florida, southeast Arizona, and southern California. Cindy wrote about her experiences with young birders who she mentored during her 35 years as an educator, earning her WildBird Magazine's 2007 "Birder of the Year" award. She is an avid photographer, eager to share images with fellow travelers.

Jim Beckman

Cheepers! Birding Trips

JIM BECKMAN is a retired Senior IT Project Manager who has been an avid birder for 20 years. He has traveled extensively for most of his adult life, and loves to share birding experiences with others. He's skilled at spotting birds and helping others find birds in the dense forest, although he frequently defers to our expert local guides for identification. Always eager to help anyone who needs a bit of extra time or information to "get on" a bird, Jim is a valuable asset on any birding tour, regardless of the location.

Tom & Lindsay Bell

Advanced Florida Master Naturalists

TOM and LINDSAY BELL are retired physicians, Advanced Florida Master Naturalists, and avid birders and travelers.

Shari Blissett-Clark

Bat Conservation

SHARI BLISSETT-CLARK is a 25 year member of Bat Conservation International, the Florida Bat Conservancy, the Florida Native Plant Society, Xerces Society, and is a Master Gardener and Florida Master Naturalist Program instructor. Shari’s education includes wildlife and invertebrate biology and she has been active in land conservation for nearly 30 years. Currently Shari sits on the Florida Bat Conservancy’s Board of Directors and in 2009 she formed Bat Belfrys Inc., a privately funded conservation organization dedicated to conserving Florida’s bats primarily through public education and advocacy. Shari and her husband John build and install bat houses throughout Florida and all proceeds from this activity directly support the bat conservation initiatives of the Florida Bat Conservancy.

• Florida Bat Conservancy
• (321) 890-6154 Bat Belfrys

Gerard "Ged" Caddick

Ecotourism Travel Leader

GED CADDICK founded Terra Incognita Ecotours in 2004 after over fifteen years of working in the Expedition Travel industry. He worked for Lindblad Expeditions as Expedition Leader from 1992-2004, and for International Expeditions while living in Belize in the 1980’s. Ged has led trips for the World Wildlife Fund, National Geographic Society and the American Museum of Natural History. He has a Masters in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida and he worked in the Conservation of Endangered Species for twelve years before becoming involved in the Expedition Travel industry. It is this mix of Expedition Travel (a.k.a. ecotourism) and Conservation of Endangered Species that has helped to shape how Terra Incognita Ecotours operates.

• Terra Incognita Ecotours

Dr. Todd Campbell

Amphibians & Reptiles

DR. TODD CAMPBELL has a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Tennessee, and is currently an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Tampa. He studies the establishment, spread, impacts, and management of invasive amphibians and reptiles in Florida, including the brown anole, Nile monitor, Argentine black and white tegu, and Cuban treefrog.

Miles Carter

Master Beekeeper

MILES CARTER is a local beekeeper and co-owner of My Sweet Bees. He has been a certified Master Beekeeper through the University of Florida program for 8 years, and a beekeeper for over 10 years. He speaks on beekeeping at multiple events around the area.

Suzanne Cooper

History Buff

With degrees in biology and botany from USF, SUZANNE COOPER had a 35-year career involving environmental impact analysis and policy implementation, mostly with the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s Agency for Bay Management. After retiring, she has put her experience to work as a volunteer with Audubon’s Florida Coastal Island Sanctuaries office and a few other entities.

Dolly Cummings

Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center

An environmental educator for youth and adults, DOLLY CUMMINGS has a B.S. in Biology from SUNY at Stony Brook. Dolly is the Volunteer Education Director for the Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center, a Biological Scientist in the Tomato Breeders Lab at UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, and an avid Citizen Scientist. At Camp Bayou, Dolly is the facilitator for a variety of environmental education programs, including WILD projects, Project WET, Project Learning Tree, and the Florida Master Naturalist Program.

• Camp Bayou

Cathy Davis

Avid Birder

CATHY DAVIS is an avid birder with Manatee Audubon. She has been exploring birding in Florida for the past few years, volunteers at the Sarasota Audubon Celery Fields Nature Center, and is an active participant in various Christmas Bird Counts across the region each year.

Jack E. Davis

Historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning Author

JACK E. DAVIS is the author of "An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century" (2009), which won a gold medal in the Florida Book Awards. His latest book, "The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea" (2017) received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize. In the works now, the next book is a natural and cultural history of the bald eagle, "Bird of Paradise: How the Bald Eagle Saved the Soul of America." Davis is a professor of history at the University of Florida, specializing in sustainability and environmental history. He grew up in the Tampa Bay area, is an alumnus of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, and a Fellow of its distinguished Florida Studies Program. A highly engaging writer and speaker, Davis has a gift for weaving many complex threads into stories that yield intricate and beautiful patterns, which are equal parts illuminating and inspiring.

• Link to "An Everglades Providence"
• Link to "The Gulf"

Lauren Deaner

Conservation Biologist

LAUREN DEANER completed her undergraduate degree in Wildlife Conservation and Entomology at the University of Delaware in 2005. She then worked in environmental consulting in the Tampa area where she worked with listed species such as the Florida Scrub-Jay and the Florida Burrowing Owl. In 2011 she left Florida to complete a master’s degree in biology at Georgia Southern University where she studies the breeding behavior of Wilson's Plovers on Cumberland Island National Seashore. In 2014 she returned to Florida to continue work contributing to the conservation of listed species.

Doug DeNeve

Audubon Society

DOUG DeNEVE grew up in Polk County and has been birding in central Florida for over 35 years. He has also observed and photographed birds in other parts of the world, on all seven continents. He frequently leads birdwalks and other outings for Tampa Audubon Society (TAS). He has been active in the Audubon Society in North Carolina and Florida for more than 25 years, and currently serves as Conservation Chair for TAS. He also volunteers frequently at the Circle-B-Bar Reserve, and is looking forward to sharing his knowledge of the Reserve and its birds with Festival participants.

• Circle B Bar Reserve Website
• Tampa Audubon Society Website

Ross Dickerson

Ecosystems Management

ROSS DICKERSON oversees the Environmental Lands Management Section of the Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Department. A unique section, they are charged with administering the Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP), which purchases land for preservation, and also managing those preserved lands. He got his start with ELAPP in 2001 as an environmental technician and never looked back. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Eckerd College and a Master’s Degree in Park and Resource Management from Slippery Rock University. In addition to ecosystems management, Ross is deeply interested in human-environment interaction, and is passionate about both environmental history and environmental education.

Jeanne Dubi

Audubon Society

JEANNE DUBI is president of the Sarasota Audubon Society. A birder since young adulthood, Jeanne moved to Sarasota from NYC in 1997.

Jim Eager

Professional Birding Guide

After a 35 yr career with BellSouth, JIM EAGER realized his dream of doing field work as a raptor observer for the 2008 Florida Keys HawkWatch Project. As an Avian Field Technician, Jim studied Bachman’s Sparrows on the SE coastal plain of North Carolina, shorebirds/seabirds in east/central Florida and breeding songbirds in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Jim was also a co-founder and co-coordinator for the rebranded Florida Keys Hawkwatch at Curry Hammock State Park in the Middle Keys. Jim is the Social Media Coordinator and longtime field trip leader for the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival and the Brevard Nature Alliance. Jim also is a field trip leader for the Florida Birding & Nature Festival, Biggest Week in American Birding, and the Everglades Birding Festival. Jim is a board member of the Florida Ornithological Society (FOS), Merritt Island Wildlife Association (MIWA) and Associate Editor (for bird distribution), FOS "Florida Field Naturalist". Jim also owns Obsessive Compulsive Birding, specializing in guided trips in and around Central Florida.

• Website

Joni Ellis

Birding & Conservation Trips

JONI ELLIS worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a Regional Education Specialist for 10 years, becoming the state education lead for the Partners in Flight program disseminate information regarding land bird conservation. She coordinated International Migratory Bird Day events around the state and provided materials and training. As a result of building those partnerships, she developed Optics for the Tropics to provide binoculars for biologists in the Caribbean and Latin America, and has provided more than 3,000 pairs of binoculars and other equipment, as well as trainings and educational materials. She currently organizes trips to Cuba to view birds, meet biologists, experience the culture and build bridges for conservation.

• Website

Michael Elswick

Manatee County

MIKE ELSWICK is a Manatee County Native. While he holds a B.A. in anthropology and a B.S. in biology from the University of South Florida, he has been doing primarily natural areas land management work with a variety of agencies and non-profits for the last fourteen years. Mike currently heads up Manatee county's Resource Management division which manages preserves throughout the county. Managing a wide variety of user groups is a delicate balancing act but his favorite preserve visitors bring binoculars or hand lenses and guide books.

Dr. Robert Epstein

Field Trip Leader

ROBERT EPSTEIN is an avid birder and amateur nature photographer. His main interest is observing and photographing birds, butterflies and dragonflies. He has photographed over 560 different species of birds in the ABA area.

Andy Fairbanks

Environmental Educator

ANDY FAIRBANKS is Communications & Outreach Coordinator for the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. He has been an environmental educator since 1997 starting at Martin County's Environmental Studies Center, and a policy wonk since 2000 starting at the City of Jacksonville’s Solid Waste & Resource Management department. He holds degrees from the universities of North Florida (B.A.) and South Florida (M.L.A., Florida Studies Program). Fairbanks is also a wildland firefighter who worked for Hillsborough County's Conservation & Environmental Lands Management department from 2014-2018, and he will be teaching Outdoor Leadership at USF in 2019.

Bo Fethe

Avian Conservationist

BO FETHE has been working in the avian conservation field for over 5 years now. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Biology and began his work with shorebirds in the Cape Fear Region. Throughout his career, he has worked on a wide array of projects from monitoring endangered species in the African tropics to bird monitoring on solar facilities in the Mojave Desert, and everything in between.

Ana Maria Fielding

Cuba Tour Guide

ANA MARIA FIELDING is Cuban-Canadian-American with a background in languages and tourism, with over 17 years of direct hospitality and guiding experience on the ground in Cuba. She discovered her love for birding leading a trip for Americans in Cuba back in 2015. Since then, she has made it her mission to share her love for birds and passion for Cuba with discerning American travelers. Watching and listening to woodpeckers, blue jays, cardinals, hawks, titmice, chickadees play and sing in her backyard is her happy place. She divides her time between family and friends in the US and Cuba, and her Cuba focused travel company supporting the people and the nature of her home country.

• Company Story

Charlie Fisher

Birder

CHARLIE FISHER has been an active birder for almost 15 years, ever since he took on a new client in his CPA practice who introduced him to the joys of bird identification in advance of a family summer beach trip to Sanibel. One trip to the Ding Darling NWR with bins and a field guide was all it took. Charlie got home, registered for the 2003 Florida Nature and Birding Festival, signed up for eBird, threw out his golf clubs and has been off in the field ever since.

Dave Goodwin

Environmental Educator

DAVE GOODWIN has been birding Florida for over 50 years and currently has the third highest list total for the state. He has served as president of St. Petersburg Audubon and twice for the Florida Ornithological Society. He is a retired teacher who currently works as an environmental educator at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg and recently as a consultant monitoring nesting crested caracaras in south central Florida. He is currently a member of the FOS Records Committee which evaluates rare bird records for the state. He also leads birding tours to the Dry Tortugas for Florida Nature Tours.

Dr. Paul Gray

Audubon Scientist

DR. PAUL GRAY is a Science Coordinator for Audubon Florida's Everglades Restoration Program. His office is near the Kissimmee River (Florida) and he has been working in central Florida for 30 years, with the last 22 for Audubon. Paul is a Co-Chair of the Snail Kite Coordinating Committee and is a leading expert on Lake Okeechobee, working regionally on water, land and bird management. Paul’s educational background includes a BS from the University of Missouri, an MS from Texas Tech University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

Milton Heiberg

Photographer & Author

MILTON HEIBERG is the author of The Essentials of Nature Photography, 2ed (the most recent of 7 books of photo technique and aesthetics). Milton served on the BOD of NYC Audubon Society beginning 1979, and Orange Audubon Society from 1999 to present.

George Heinrich

Reptile Specialist

GEORGE L. HEINRICH is a field biologist and environmental educator with a specialty in Florida reptiles. His company, Heinrich Ecological Services, is based in St. Petersburg, Florida and conducts wildlife surveys and research, natural history programming, and nature-based tours. He is also currently the Executive Director of the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust.

• Heinrich Ecological Services
• FTCT Website

Dr. Brandt F. Henningsen

Environmental Scientist

A Texas transplant living and working in Florida since 1977, DR. BRANDT HENNINGSEN is a marine coastal ecologist by training with 46 years of experience as a consultant, governmental regulator (environmental permitting), artificial reef coordinator, professor, and environmental scientist specializing in coastal ecosystem restoration. Henningsen earned degrees from Lamar University (BS), Texas A & M University (MS), and the University of South Florida (Ph.D.) and currently is a Chief Advisor Environmental Scientist with the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Dr. John Hood

DR. JOHN HOOD is an expert birder, Past President of the Clearwater Audubon Society, active Audubon Florida beach-nesting bird volunteer steward at Three Rooker Island State Preserve, and former Board Member of Audubon Florida.

Barb and Dave Howard

Florida Master Naturalists

BARB HOWARD is the President of the Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges and has been with the group since it began in 2005. She is a Florida Master Naturalist graduate, putting the information she learned in the program to good use in various programs for the Refuges. She also volunteers for St Petersburg Audubon with the rooftop and beach nesting bird programs.

DAVE HOWARD is a Florida Master Naturalist and Director for the Friends of Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges. Duties include public outreach programs and volunteer coordinator working closely with USFWS supporting the three NWRs in Tampa Bay. For the past 10 years Dave and Barb with Friends volunteers have conducted monthly bird surveys, clean-ups, bird rescues, and other activities of support.

• NWR Website

Bette Jackson

Biology Professor

BETTE J.S. JACKSON is Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University. She recently completed a nine-year term as Chair of the Department. She has numerous scientific and popular publications. Current research interests include ornithological history, Loggerhead Shrikes and Killdeer.

Dr. Jerry Jackson

Author and Radio Show Host

JEROME A. JACKSON is the former Whitaker Eminent Scholar in Science at Florida Gulf Coast University and is now professor emeritus at Florida Gulf Coast University and Mississippi State University. He has served on the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and South Florida Ecosystems endangered species recovery teams and on the national Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Jerry is host of a daily program called "With the Wild Things" on public radio in southwest Florida. He has written several books, including "In Search of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker" (Smithsonian Press), and more than 300 articles for professional journals and popular magazines. He is also a volunteer at Audubon's Corkscrew Sanctuary.

Joel Jackson

Audubon Photographer

JOEL JACKSON was formerly the manager of grounds maintenance and urban forestry for the City of Tampa which included overseeing the city’s Tree & Landscape Ordinance. More recently Joel was the Manager of Park Planning, Design & Construction for Hillsborough County which included creating Lettuce Lake Park, the most visited park in the county. In 2016 the Florida Native Plant Society honored him with their highest award for public service. Joel continues to be a dedicated and a passionate proponent for the preservation of Florida’s conservation lands and wildlife for future generations to enjoy.

Dr. Mary Keith

Festival Board Member

MARY KEITH has been birding most of her life. She grew up in rural Pennsylvania where most weekends were spent in the state parks and woods. She has lived and birded in Florida since 1992. Her degrees have nothing to do with birds (Chemistry and Food Science), but they have supported a life of work around the world where she managed to watch birds as well. She is retired from the University of Florida Extension Service and now has more time to lead bird walks for the Tampa Audubon Society, watch birds, monitor eagle nests and wading bird colonies, and participate in Christmas Bird Counts.

Sherry Keller

Bird Walks

SHERRY KELLER grew up in Hillsborough County, and began birding while attending USF in the 1970's. An active member of Tampa Audubon Society for more than 10 years, she leads birdwalks at Lettuce Lake Park.

Adam Kent

Florida's Breeding Bird Atlas

An Anhinga sparked ADAM KENT’s passion for birds when he was about five years old. Since then, a love of sharing his enthusiasm about the natural world has led Adam to work on many different environmental and education projects, including as a naturalist guide. His varied biologist positions have included assessing sites for the Great Florida Birding Trail, and working as Florida’s first Scrub-Jay Conservation Coordinator. He is a past President of the Florida Ornithological Society and is very involved with the state’s second breeding bird atlas. One of Adam’s birding highlights was making recordings that led to the description of a new species of bird in Mexico, the Nava’s Wren. Adam and his wife Gina reside in Gainesville, Florida where they can be found relaxing on their front porch while eBirding the woods along a local creek.

• Breeding Bird Atlas Progress
• Florida Ornithological Society

Gina Kent

Avian Research and Conservation Institute

GINA KENT has worked for the Avian Research and Conservation Institute for over 17 years. Whether conducting bird surveys from small planes, boating around the Florida Keys, or climbing up 100-foot tall trees, Gina has worked with many Florida specialty birds including swallow-tailed kites, short-tailed hawks, snail kites, reddish egrets, white-crowned pigeons, magnificent frigatebirds and others. She grew up in Wisconsin and went to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Upon graduation she took tech positions on birds, herps, small mammals, and invasive plants from New Mexico to New York and Missouri to Australia. Once hired as a temporary tech on ARCI’s Short-tailed Hawk project, she was hooked on the birds and fieldwork in Florida. She received her Masters at Georgia Southern University on stopover ecology, habitat associations, and parasites of Swallow-tailed Kites. She is now ARCI’s Research Ecologist and Coordinator.

• ARCI Website

Joyce Kleen

Wildlife Biologist

JOYCE KLEEN has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) since 1981 shortly after graduating with a BS in wildlife biology from North Carolina State University. She currently works as a wildlife biologist on the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Complex which includes five national wildlife refuges along Florida’s Gulf coast-Crystal River, Chassahowitzka, Egmont Key, Passage Key, and Pinellas NWRs. In addition to working with endangered and threatened species such as West Indian manatees, Florida black bears, whooping cranes, and piping plovers, Joyce conducts monthly surveys on Egmont Key NWR and SP monitoring nesting, migrating, and wintering colonial waterbirds and shorebirds.

Dr. Steve Kress

Project Puffin Director

STEVE KRESS is Executive Director of the Seabird Restoration Program and Vice President for Bird Conservation of the National Audubon Society. He received his B.S. in Zoology and M.S. in Wildlife Management from Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in Environmental Education from Cornell University. Steve began Project Puffin in 1973 and has remained its Director since the beginning. He is also Manager of National Audubon's Maine Coastal Island Sanctuaries. He was Ornithology Instructor at the Audubon Camp in Maine on Hog Island from 1969 through 1981, was the Director of the Camp from 1982 through 1986, and is currently serving as the Director once again. He is a Laboratory Associate at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY, where he teaches a very popular annual birding course called Spring Field Ornithology.

• Project Puffin Story
• Cornell Course Information

John Lampkin

Trip Leader & Speaker

JOHN LAMPKIN is an avid citizen naturalist and photographer and now retired from a New York music career, he explores and marvels at the Floridian universe with macro lens in hand. His long-range project is to photograph and catalogue the flora and fauna of the Sun City Center Nature Trails. Not coincidentally, as a professional composer his woodwind quintet, "Insects: A Musical Entomology in Six Legs" won the Grand Prize in a Composers Guild international competition. John also constructs crossword puzzles for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal the LA Times and other venues, with many of his puzzles having nature themes. Except for his fascination with bugs and plants, he is totally harmless.

Dan Larremore

State Park Specialist

DAN LARREMORE has been an environmental Specialist for Florida Park Service since 2006, assigned to the North Pinellas island group stationed at Honeymoon Island State Park. His primary areas of responsibility include shorebird nest monitoring, sea turtle nest monitoring, exotic species control, and prescribed fire on Anclote Key Preserve State Park, Caladesi Island State Park, Honeymoon Island State Park, and Egmont Key State Park. He participates in eagle and osprey nest monitoring. Dan has a degree in Environmental Science from the University of South Florida.

Pamela Leasure

Biologist

PAM LEASURE, South County Land Manager, manages the natural resources and restoration projects of the south county Preserves, Parks and Management Areas for Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources, including Shell Key County Preserve. Her responsibilities include such things as writing of management plans, restoration projects, relocation of species including gopher tortoise, protection of species including beach nesting shore birds and gopher tortoise, and prescribed burning.

Adrian Lesak

Vortex Optics

ADRIAN LESAK has been a birder since childhood and fondly recalls the early mornings of spring migration; birding while delivering newspapers and before the school bell rang. He has studied forest songbird communities for the US Forest Service in Washington and in Master’s and PhD research in Alabama and Wisconsin, respectively. As part of the Eagle Optics sales team for 5 years, and now as the birding and observation manager at Vortex Optics, he has gained extensive knowledge and field experience with the latest the sport optics industry has to offer. Adrian enjoys the challenge and reward of pairing birders with the right optics for them to enjoy the pursuit and the passion for birds and birding he shares with them.

• Vortex Optics Website

James Lingle

Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center

JAMES LINGLE has a Bachelor degree in Animal Biology from the University of South Florida, and formerly worked as a Wetland Biologist at the Florida Aquarium for five years. James currently works as a fish biologist at the Stock Enrichment Research Facility under the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. James is also a volunteer for the Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center, and is an avid birdwatcher, nature hiker, scuba diver, and traveler.

• Camp Bayou

Mic McCarty

Tampa Audubon

MIC McCARTY grew up in central Florida, so he knows our area and its wildlife. He is a former military pilot who still teaches kids how to fly in summer camps, and is currently a middle school teacher. He has been birding, leading field trips and taking great photos for 5 years with Tampa Audubon. He’s active with Christmas Bird Counts, Nest Watch and more.

Jim McGinity

Environmental Educator

JIM McGINITY is a biologist and environmental educator with a life-long passion for birds. He started bird watching at the age of seven and has shared his love of birds with people of all ages while working at nature/environmental centers in four different states (Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida). He began a migratory bird banding station in Milwaukee and has participated in a number of research and citizen science projects involving birds. In 2011, he began a migratory bird banding station in west central Florida (Dunedin) where he bands for 6 weeks every spring and fall. He is very interested in communicating the importance of native plants and healthy ecosystems to resident and migratory birds, and collaborating with Florida researchers and banders. A native of Indiana, Mr. McGinity has lived in Dunedin for 14 years where he enjoys exploring Florida's natural areas including paddling rivers/streams and bird watching on our beautiful beaches and in Hammock Park.

Johnny McLeod

Duette Preserve Steward

JOHNNY McLEOD is full blooded Myakkan, has been steward of Duette Preserve for over fifteen years, and leads the Manatee East County land management team of Rangers. He runs the quality hunt program, is a prescribed fire master-practitioner, and a backwoods diplomat.

Damon Moore

Manatee County Environmental Program Manager

After working as an environmental consultant with Stantec, DAMON MOORE became an Environmental Program Manager for the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department. He has played a primary role in Manatee County’s habitat restoration efforts, including the county’s uplands, wetlands and sea grass meadows, in turn benefiting scrub jays, kestrels, gopher tortoises, sand skinks, oysters and other wildlife. He received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Armstrong State University and is pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy at the University of South Florida.

August Muench

Commercial Crabbing Captain

CAPTAIN GUS MUENCH has commercially caught blue crabs for 42 years. He is President of Oyster Reef Designs, Inc. and the inventor of Seawall Oyster Reefs, designed to restore shoreline habitat along seawalls. He is also an avid conservationist and a member of Hillsborough County’s Jan Platt Environmental Lands Protection and Acquisition Program, and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s Agency on Bay Management.

Patrick Mundus

Wildlife Refuges

PATRICK MUNDUS is an active volunteer and board member with the Friends of Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges. His work with the group includes public outreach, land management and habitat protection, and working with the interpretive docent program on Egmont Key.

Robert Northrop

Forester and Teacher

ROBERT NORTHROP is the extension forester for the University of Florida IFAS Extension. The focus of his work involves teaching urban and community forestry to natural resource and landscape professionals; providing conservation planning assistance to local, state and federal governments and community associations; and applied research into the changing character and ecological function of the Tampa Bay Watershed’s urbanizing forest. Before coming to Florida he worked as the technical watershed forester for the State of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program, Governor’s Office of Maryland, and taught wildlife management at the University of Delaware.

Tessie Offner

Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

TESSIE OFFNER holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Tampa (UT) and an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from University of Florida (UF). She has been conducting research and removal efforts of the Argentine black and white tegus in Hillsborough county since 2012 with UT, FWC and UF. Tessie currently works with Wildlands Conservation to remove tegus from public lands and increase understanding about this invasive reptile.

Nanette O'Hara

Festival Board Member

NANETTE O’HARA has served as the Public Outreach Coordinator for the Tampa Bay Estuary Program since 1998. She is responsible for communicating the program’s goals and successes to the media and the public, and for developing strategies to improve community awareness of bay problems and solution. Among the innovative education campaigns she has developed are the “Be Floridian” campaign supporting local fertilizer use restrictions, and the “Pooches for the Planet” pet waste education program. Nanette is an avid saltwater fly angler, nature photographer and a certified Master Gardener with Hillsborough County Extension.

Morgan Parks

Shorebird Biologist

MORGAN PARKS is the Southwest Regional Shorebird Biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Morgan has been working with shorebirds since 2011, and joined FWC in 2016, where she has enjoyed working with partners from SW Florida on shorebird conservation.

Ann Paul

Tampa Bay Audubon

ANN PAUL has worked for Audubon’s Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries (FCIS) since 1991 and is the Tampa Bay Regional Coordinator. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Cornell University in New York and Master of Science degree in biology from Trinity University in Texas. She worked for the Texas Nature Conservancy as Assistant Land Steward and Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation managing conservation lands. Ms. Paul is an expert in waterbird populations and management of coastal habitats for wildlife, and an active participant in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Reddish Egret, American Oystercatcher, and Wood Stork Working Groups. She currently serves on the board of the Tampa Bay Conservancy and is past president of the Tampa Audubon Society.

Sarah Peltier

Bear Biologist

SARAH PELTIER is the South Area Bear Biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. She is responsible for responding to human-bear conflicts in south and southwest Florida.

Eric Plage

Tampa Bay Watch

ERIC PLAGE is an Environmental Scientist at Tampa Bay Watch whose focus is primarily on habitat restoration and living shoreline construction. An avid birder since age 7, Eric is extremely familiar with the species that pass through Pinellas County each fall, having recorded 317 species in Pinellas County alone.

Lucy Polak

Wild Birds Unlimited

LUCY POLAK is the current owner of Wild Birds Unlimited of Tampa and has been a bird feeding hobbyist for 20 years. She is a Florida state registered beekeeper and a current member of Tampa Audubon.

Mark Rachal

Audubon Sanctuary Manager

MARK RACHAL has worked for Audubon's Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries since 2006 and is currently the Sanctuary Manager. His duties include bird surveys, habitat management, and bird sanctuary conservation. Mark has led shoreline restoration and erosion control projects at the Alafia Bank Bird Sanctuary, Green Key Bird Sanctuary, and Whiskey Stump Key Bird Sanctuary. Mark has a Bachelor of Science degree from Davidson College and conducted graduate work at Eastern Michigan University. Mark participated in the Roseate Spoonbill banding project in Tampa Bay and has surveyed and managed many of the waterbird colonies along the Gulf Coast of Florida. He is a member of the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Reddish Egret Working Group and the American Oystercatcher Working Group.

Tara Rambo

Ecologist

TARA RAMBO is an environmental ecologist at Wildlands Conservation with a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida. Tara has worked on many land management projects working to survey and monitor listed species, control non-native invasive species, perform trail maintenance, coordinate environmental outreach events, and participate in prescribed fire events.

Stephen Raymond

Environmental Lands Management

STEPHEN RAYMOND has accumulated over 15 years of public land management experience working for the Florida Park Service, Pinellas County’s Environmental Lands Management, and Manatee County’s Parks and Natural Resources. Currently, he is the Northeast Region Land Management Coordinator for Hillsborough County’s Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Department and is responsible for managing approximately 15,000 acres, the majority of which is at the Lower Green Swamp Preserve. Mr. Raymond has an AS in Environmental Science Technology from Hillsborough Community College, a BA in Environmental Studies from Eckerd College, and is a Florida Certified Burn Manager.

Sandy Reed

Audubon Activist

SANDY REED is a retired RN who became an Audubon activist after joining Tampa Audubon Society upon her retirement in 2009. Her favorite pastime is watching birds in her own yard. She was inspired by her mother's love of birds and physical limitations that precluded travel. Sandy has been involved in bird protection activities from enhancing erosion control at nesting islands, Bluebird trail monitoring, Colony Watch, Eagle Watch, Shorebird Stewarding and leading an educational committee working to reduce fishing line entanglement of Brown Pelicans particularly, and other birds and wildlife too.

Dr. Randy Runnels

Aquatic Preserves Manager

DR. RANDY RUNNELS is the Manager of Tampa Bay’s four aquatic preserves, which represent nearly 20% of Florida’s aquatic preserves acreage. He has a PhD in Oceanography from Texas A&M University, and he has worked in most Gulf of Mexico habitats from more northern temperate marshes to coral reefs of the Keys. He also has worked with scientists and coastal managers from a number of countries, and, in recent years, he has served as a coastal management advisor in China and Vietnam.

Mac Stone, Keynote Speaker

Photographer

MAC STONE is an acclaimed photographer, speaker and author from Gainesville, Florida. Growing up exploring the springs, swamps, and hammocks of North Central Florida, he developed a passion for photography at a young age.
Over the years his camera has carried him to some of the most remote and imperiled areas this side of the globe. His images and stories have appeared in BBC, National Geographic, CNN, NPR, Audubon, WWF and many others. Through photography, Stone strives to start new conversations and expose the dynamic relationship between mankind and the natural world.
After spending five years living and working in the Everglades watershed, he released a 304-page coffee table book about the heralded River of Grass. Everglades: America’s Wetland, has won a silver medal with the Florida Book Awards and is in its second printing. Stone delivered his first TED talk about this body of work, which has now been viewed over a million times. His next project and book will explore the remaining old growth swamps of the southern US providing a rare glimpse of how the country’s bottomlands once looked.

David Sumpter

Wildlife Biologist

DAVID SUMPTER is a wildlife biologist and the Director of Wildlands Conservation, a nonprofit organization with a Mission most simply stated in their name. They implement this Mission through: land conservation and resource stewardship, an environmental education program that includes an active internship program established with several Universities, and directed ecological research with an emphasis on wildlife and listed species.

Eric Teitelbaum

Environmentalist

ERIC TEITELBAUM is an Environmental Specialist with Pinellas County, and formerly with Hillsborough County. Eric is a 2011 graduate of the University of Tampa with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, and is a former Biological Science Technician and Park Ranger with the National Park Service.

Jon Thaxton

Naturalist

JON THAXTON, a self-educated naturalist, worked with Dr.’s Glenn Woolfenden and John Fitzpatrick at the Archbold Biological Station to establish a ten year demographic study of suburban Florida Scrub-Jays in Sarasota County. The study provided an early understanding of how human-altered landscapes can impact the long-term survival of Florida Scrub-Jays. Jon’s work in protecting endangered species and conserving Florida’s wildlands was featured in National Geographic’s 1996 book, "The Company We Keep." Today Jon, a 5th generation Sarasota native, advises public policy and oversees grants and initiatives as Senior Vice President with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

• GCCF Website

Dave and Sandy Townsend

Naturalist and Birder

DAVE and SANDY TOWNSEND spend much of their free time exploring and learning about Florida’s natural beauty. Dave is a certified Florida Master Naturalist and volunteers as a docent at Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center. Additionally, he volunteers as a paddle craft safety instructor for the Boy Scouts. Sandy is an avid birder and amateur nature photographer who created a birding and butterfly habitat in her yard. They enjoy spending time with other nature lovers and have participated in many Audubon field trips.

Paul Trunk

St. Petersburg Audubon Society President

PAUL TRUNK has been watching dragonflies since 1986 and has given many presentations on the Dragonflies of West Central Florida to groups throughout the years. He has completed dragonfly surveys throughout Pinellas County and conducts regular walks at Brooker Creek Preserve on odonates.

Dr. Gabriel Vargo

Birds of Prey Caretaker

GABRIEL VARGO focused on phytoplankton during his 28-year tenure at the College of Marine Science at University of South Florida. While there, he studied the impact of red tide and their toxins on sea and shorebirds and other wildlife. He is a volunteer caretaker for the Birds of Prey at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, a volunteer with Florida Audubon’s Eaglewatch program and has been involved with SEANET. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the St. Petersburg Audubon Society and a contributor to the St. Petersburg Audubon/Dr. Harold Albers Ecology Camp for teachers. Gabriel received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Botany from the University of Miami and a doctorate in Biological Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island.

Julie Vogel

Wetlands Scientist

JULIE VOGEL received her Masters of Science degree from University of South Florida St. Petersburg. She has taught Sustainability and related courses for both USF and St. Petersburg College. She worked for Pinellas County government at Brooker Creek Preserve and later as an Environmental Scientist specializing in water quality. In 2018, Julie joined the City of Lakeland team where she enthusiastically supports all things Se7en Wetlands. Her work includes developing programs for outreach, species monitoring, habitat management, and more. When Julie isn’t championing Se7en Wetlands, she likes to spend time planting native plants in her garden and enjoying Florida with her family.