Molly Niles Cornell
My initial contact with Manomet was through the banding program. I had experience as a bander of migratory songbirds in Maryland before relocating to Woods Hole in 1988. I made a bee-line to join up with Manomet to continue, what for me, was the sheer pleasure of being involved with banding birds. Beyond banding, however, one event that really drew me into the organization was the Neo-Tropical Migratory Bird Symposium which Manomet put together and hosted in the Fall of 1989. I was impressed by the scope of influence that a seemingly small organization could have when it planned and partnered strategically with other organizations and individuals. Manomet’s programs have evolved and changed many times over the decades of my involvement with the organization, but the core remains the same: to work with partners and to apply science to develop and maintain a sustainable world.
Areas of Expertise
I am a retired science teacher. My career involved teaching in informal settings (Audubon centers, the National Zoo, summer classes at the Woods Hole Children’s School of Science, to name a few) as well as formal classroom science teaching in a K-6 public school in Washington DC. In Falmouth, I worked to develop science curricula and Family Science programs.
After retirement I took up volunteering with our local land trust in its efforts to preserve open space, and to get people of all ages outdoors onto conservation land.
Personal Statement
For many years after retirement I travelled extensively to far-flung places, mostly for birding. My “travel bug” is somewhat tempered now, but I still enjoy a good birding outing such as a Christmas Bird Count or a trip to Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. Another life-long hobby is sailing: big boats or little ones, it doesn’t matter.