Combining Technology, Volunteers, and Science to Make Better Bird Habitat

NAME: Doreen Whitley

LOCATION: Columbus, OH

ORGANIZATION: Grange Insurance Audubon Center

Upon graduation from college, Doreen Whitley had a choice to make: a career in education or in scientific research. After working as a park ranger with The National Park Service, she realized what she really wanted to do was conduct meaningful research and get the public involved in local conservation efforts.  

Now, as Conservation Program Coordinator for the Grange Insurance Audubon Center and a 2009 TogetherGreen Fellow, Doreen will conduct two interconnected research projects based around bird and habitat conservation. Both projects will be completed by volunteers participating in “Birding for A Better Columbus,” an innovative approach to recruit and train new birders.

The first project will determine the Grange Insurance Audubon Center’s importance as stopover habitat for migrating birds through bird banding. The second project will match avid birders from the local Audubon Chapter with inner Columbus residents to manage and acquire bird population data from point counts in restored habitat areas. Resulting data will be mapped in GIS to depict how birds respond to habitat restoration, helping the Audubon Center to better plan habitat restoration for threatened bird species.

Both of these projects build upon Doreen’s goal: to perform conservation research that benefits birds and native plants, while engaging and inspiring the Columbus population to experience the great outdoors.

“I believe it is possible to inspire, educate, and move people to action in one full circle,” says Doreen.