People Type: Staff

Manomet brings together people from across the entire hemisphere for conservation and has an incredible legacy of working with sound science and dedicated people to make a difference. Addressing the challenges that shorebirds face necessitates this wide-ranging, multi-faceted approach, and I’m working with Manomet because I believe that in being a part of this team, I can help make a difference.

The Georgia Bight is a region with incredible habitat for shorebirds throughout the year, ranging from expansive marshes, mudflats, and sand bars, to undeveloped barrier island beaches which provide sites for nesting, feeding, and roosting. By working with the stakeholders actively involved in shorebird conservation, identifying research and management objectives, building education and outreach efforts, and increasing partnerships, we will achieve measurable progress for shorebirds along the South Carolina, Georgia and Northern Florida coasts.

I earned my doctorate from the University of Georgia, where I studied how habitat and landscape features influence beach nesting shorebirds and chick survival. Prior to my degree, I lived on Little St. Simons Island in Georgia, where I worked as a naturalist guide and assisted on a variety of environmental projects, educated visitors about coastal ecology, and explored the Southeastern coast. Before migrating south, I grew up in Western New York and attended SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry for my B.S. in environmental biology.

When I’m not birding or working, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, going on adventures, learning new things, and snuggling my dog, Baxley.

Brad Winn is Vice President, Resilient Habitats and is committed to working with a wide range of individuals and organizations to implement conservation projects.

Brad joined Manomet in 2011 to work toward Western Hemisphere shorebird population recovery, including teaching shorebird ecology and management workshops, coordinating the International Shorebird Survey, contributing to the development of the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Business Strategy, and performing field studies including Arctic Shorebird Demographics Network, Red Knot population estimates, and Whimbrel migration ecology.

From my first two-year stint at the (then) Manomet Bird Observatory in the 1970’s, I was immensely comfortable with the wide range of scientific work we do and the emphasis on conservation biology. Over the years, our long-term data and the ecological studies they inform have led to an ideal combination of research, conservation science, and education at all levels. Science is not a goal in itself, but at Manomet, it leads to communicating our results directly through teaching, publication, and the current media. This philosophy is supported by unified staff, boards, and members, so “Why not Manomet?”

Manomet is a science-based organization that allows us to engage any audience with the facts about conservation biology. Our bird research uses changes in migration ecology to showcase birds as sensitive indicators of environmental change that alert us to both local and international conservation and climate change effects. We communicate these concepts through direct programs at the banding lab, lectures, publications, web sites and especially through providing curriculum and field techniques to teachers at middle and high school levels. A sustainable world requires that people understand the results of our actions, good and bad, plus everyone appreciates birds.

An initial Honours B.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Wales was supplemented by graduate courses in ecology from Boston University. Training in ornithology and field biology at Bird Observatories and the British Trust for Ornithology was supplemented in the USA by banding and census techniques and practical teaching at the undergraduate level at Manomet. Fieldwork from the Arctic to the New World tropics, Europe and Africa has broadened all aspects of my background.

Birds and the places they take you to, plus the people you meet along the way provide an endless fascination and endless learning opportunities. I still have the privilege of working with dedicated banders and interns, being directly involved in teaching, and continuing to learn about and appreciate birds.

As Director of Landbird Conservation, Evan contributes to Manomet’s educational output and ornithological research goals.

Evan began his environmental education career in High School as a counselor for Mass Audubon summer camps. At Earlham College, he led tours of the campus natural history museum and studied reptiles and birds. Evan came to Manomet in 2008 and has worked off-and-on as a scientist and educator with the organization ever since. He completed an M.S. thesis on Wood Thrushes at UMass Amherst in 2014.

Whether it was catching frogs and salamanders where he grew up in Kingston, Massachusetts, or wandering through the woods as a boy scout, Evan has always been most comfortable outside. When he isn’t birding or fishing, he enjoys painting, playing drums, and daydreaming about the Everglades (his favorite National Park).

Why Manomet?

Manomet is an organization that places a heavy emphasis on relevant ornithological research and education. I love being able to play an active role in the science, while also delivering the lessons we’ve learned to the public. Everyone at the organization plays a role in facilitating a connection to nature, and I consider myself incredibly fortunate in that I get to see the connection firsthand, whether it’s at a bird banding demonstration, a nature walk, or a lecture on bird identification.

It is incredibly important to Marissa that her research addresses real-world problems and is applied to help create solutions to those problems. Much of her research focuses on strengthening and diversifying fisheries opportunities in the Gulf of Maine, in an effort to preserve fishing cultures and traditions, while also promoting a healthy and resilient marine ecosystem.

Marissa received a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from Northeastern University in 2017, and an M.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of Maine in 2011. She has studied marine ecology and fisheries in the Gulf of Maine for over a decade. Much of her life has also revolved around working as a commercial fisher.

Marissa is an avid Scuba diver and spends as much time as she possibly can underwater. She uses Scuba for research and as a hobby, but she is also a Scuba instructor. Introducing students to the wonders of the underwater world is one of her greatest joys in life.

Why Manomet?

Much of what drives my scientific curiosity is a deep connection to the fishing traditions and culture that New England is founded upon. My family has been farming and fishing in midcoast Maine since the 1700s. I grew up working on my father’s lobster boat, which is what ultimately led me to marine science. As a result of my family’s history in commercial fisheries, and my career as a scientist, I strive to bridge the gap between scientists and fishermen and create productive collaborative partnerships. Manomet provides the perfect platform to achieve this goal.