Have you met Our Peep, Willa yet?! Willa Coroka (C as in “cinnamon”) is a wild child, her heart at its fullest while flitting through the New England forests amidst the hemlocks, birches and pines. A NH native, Willa  graduated with her MS in Environmental Studies in 2015 after several years of seasonal jobs that took her from the coast of Chile to the mountains of Spain and myriad locations in between. Willa comes to NH Audubon with a deep commitment for preserving wild spaces and a knack for evoking excitement in people’s perception of the natural world. Willa splits her spare time between meandering woodlands and meadows on horseback, spying on birds, traveling, reading, and playing in the garden.

Willa has been our Education Specialist since the fall of 2020 and has taken the lead in so many ways: modifying and facilitating our third grade Urban Wildlife Education curriculum for remote learning during the height of the pandemic; adapting and delivering our Beech Street second grade curriculum; and, most notably, designing and piloting our engaging 5-month long Peregrine Falcon Education program for fifth grade students in and around Manchester. Willa brings professionalism and excitement to all of her programs both in-person and virtual. Check out the public-facing iteration of Willa’s Peregrine Falcon educational program this spring via monthly Resilient Raptor webinar series suitable for families and adults alike. Willa is also developing lessons and activities for people to experience our demonstration pollinator gardens for use this spring at both NH Audubon year-round Centers, city parks, and partnering schools with outdoor pollinator habitats. We’ll even have some grab-and-go activities for families at our Centers to experience and learn about pollinators and native plants, so be sure to stop by.

We are really lucky to have Willa on staff and hope you get to meet her in an upcoming program soon!