Our coastal team is getting a boost this spring and summer with two new seasonal staff (although neither of them is new to Audubon). Each is bringing a strong passion for birds and years of experience working alongside Audubon. They will be joining Coastal Biologist Lindsay Addison, Biological Technician Anna Parot, and Volunteer Coordinator Marlene Eader.

Our coastal staff spends the entire nesting season out in the field, monitoring nesting birds, protecting our sanctuaries, educating beachgoers, and overseeing research. It's a long, busy season and we're excited to have our new staff on board. 

Cissie Brooks – Cissie is recently retired from Wrightsville Beach School, where she was our wonderful partner on the fifth-grade shorebird project. As the school’s marine science educator, she not only supported the fifth-grade project from its beginnings in 2010, she also taught all the fifth graders about coastal ecosystems and critters.

She’s learning on the job this summer, as she job shares the volunteer coordinator position with Marlene Eader. Look for her at the south end of Wrightsville Beach, helping to coordinate our Beach Bird Stewards program and educate beachgoers about Black Skimmers, Least Terns, and all the birds that nest at the inlet. Cissie is also an avid surfer and talented artist. "This summer I am so excited about being able to spend more time on the beach observing the amazing behaviors of these beautiful shorebirds," Cissie says.

Evangelyn (Evan) Buckland – Evan recently graduated from UNC-Wilmington with a master’s degree in marine biology, for which she studied overwintering survival and abundance of Seaside and Saltmarsh Sparrows in southeastern North Carolina.

She’s also a co-founder of the Cape Fear Bird Observatory, a longtime Audubon North Carolina volunteer, and spent several seasons as a biological technician for Cape Hatteras National Seashore on both Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. "This summer I am most excited to be to be part of the team monitoring and protecting one of my favorite bird species, American Oystercatchers," Evan says.