Wetland and shorebird specialist Monica Iglecia joined Manomet this month as the new assistant director of the Shorebird Habitats Project.

 

“I am excited to join the Shorebird Recovery Program at Manomet,” Iglecia said. “I have been impressed by the quality of the conservation work led by Manomet and I am thrilled to work alongside this impressive team dedicated to the future of shorebird populations.”

 

Iglecia will be working with Shorebird Habitats Project Director Brad Winn to increase the capacity of both public and privately-owned wetlands to benefit shorebirds throughout North America. She will be working with national wildlife refuges, state wildlife management agencies, farmers, and private organizations to incorporate shorebird habitat needs into current wetland management practices.

 

In August, Iglecia will co-lead a shorebird ecology, conservation, and management workshop in New Brunswick, Canada.   

 

Iglecia has been working on bird conservation for over a decade and has extensive experience collaborating with a variety of stakeholders on conservation projects.  

 

She most recently served as a conservation project director at Audubon California, where she led their Bird Friendly Farming Initiative. She worked with farmers, industry, public agencies, and other conservation partners to enhance the value of agricultural lands and managed wetlands to achieve large-scale conservation impact for shorebirds in California’s Central Valley. She also led a diverse array of shorebird conservation projects, including research focused on interviewing wetland managers to assess current practices and future capacity to manage habitat for shorebirds.

 

“With her experience and expertise, Monica will be instrumental in getting land management techniques that benefit shorebirds into practice across the country,” Winn said. “With her passion for wildlife and wetland conservation, she will quickly become an integral part of Manomet’s shorebird recovery team.”

 

Iglecia holds a B.A. in Environmental Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an M.Sc. in Zoology from North Carolina State University.

 

– Haley Jordan