(by Zoe Dawson)
March is the annual celebration of Women’s History Month. Last year, we shared an article overviewing the impressive ladies of NH Audubon, who play a role in every facet of the organization. (If you missed out, review it here!) This year, the theme of Women’s History Month is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future,” determined by the National Women’s History Alliance. With this theme in mind, we’ve decided to give a deeper look into the accomplishments and history of the members of our conservation department whose work every day contributes to a more sustainable future for wildlife and people.
Our conservation team includes Diane De Luca (Senior Biologist), Carol Foss (Senior Advisor for Science and Policy), Lindsay Herlihy (Project Biologist), Pam Hunt (Senior Biologist for Avian Conservation), Mickayla Johnston (Avian Biologist), Grace McCulloch (Community Science Project Leader), and Becky Suomala (Biologist Emerita). Together, they have a combined history of over 175 years working and volunteering with this organization. That’s longer than we have been established for! Each member has unique strengths and areas of focus, with work spanning pollinator habitat enhancement, threatened and endangered species monitoring (including Monarch Butterflies, Common Nighthawks, and Bald Eagles), Motus migration tracking, and more. Our senior staff members have taken on incredible projects like heading our comprehensive State of the Birds publications, developing the state’s Endangered Species Program, coordinating New Hampshire Bird Records, and initiating the return of terns to the Isles of Shoals – to name just a few successes. Our new staff bring exciting talent and have undertaken modernizing some of NH Audubon’s historical work, like digitizing New Hampshire Bird Records, the Backyard Winter Bird Survey, and Bald Eagle nest monitoring, and piloting incredible new technologies in migration tracking. Together, this team shares an overwhelming commitment and care for the natural world.
NH Audubon is proud to have women at the forefront of our organization’s history, from its foundation to its continued influence in the state and beyond. In reflection of her work and this year’s Women’s History Month theme, Senior Biologist Diane De Luca shared that “investing in women’s leadership in conservation, science, and sustainability multiplies positive environmental outcomes” – evidenced by our team’s many successes. The future of our leadership in conservation is incredibly bright. Our newest biologist, Mickayla Johnston, reflected on her journey to get to NH Audubon, “When I first got started in this field, it was very hard to break through, and it was especially daunting as a woman because it seemed like the fields of biology and conservation are such male-dominated fields. To get my dream job after so many years of doing part-time and seasonal work makes me feel so excited and inspired to be working at a place like NH Audubon, where my colleagues are a bunch of successful and ambitious women.” We are honored to foster an environment where our female conservationists thrive and would not be able to accomplish our mission without them. Thank you to the women past, present, and future in all parts of the world who dedicate their work towards a sustainable future.