***Dinner Tickets with

Big Year Birder Greg Miller

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The Birds Seen at the
Bird Festivals

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Mail Check to:
Great Salt Lake Bird Festival
PO Box 618, Farmington, UT 84037
(Price includes shipping)

Presenters, Workshop Leaders
& Field Trip Guides

Genevieve Atwood is an earth scientist - geographer, a former three-term state legislator and former State Geologist and Director of the Utah Geological Survey. She is currently Chief Education Officer of Earth Science Education, a small not-for-profit organization that uses local geology to teach teachers earth science principles, outdoors, in their students' neighborhoods. She is an Associate Instructor in the Geography Department at the University of Utah and teaches Geography of Utah.

Tim Avery has worked for the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and the Utah DWR doing bird surveys. He currently holds Utah's Big Year record.

Brian R. Barber is the Outreach Coordinator for the Ogden Migratory Bird Program. Brian received his Ph.D in 2007 from the University of Minnesota. Brian is an ornithologist that uses molecular data to study the effects historical events, such as past climate-change, had on birds throughout the Western Hemisphere. As Outreach Coordinator Brian will be working with the Office of Undergraduate Research at Weber State as well as the Wasatch Audubon Society, Ogden nature Center, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to promote citizen science in Ogden.

John Bellmon is a life-long birder. He helped organize the 1st Ogden Christmas Bird Count 30 years ago. He is founding president of the Wasatch Audubon Ogden Chapter-1981, and founding chairman of the Audubon Council of Utah-1985. He served on the board of Directors of the National Audubon Society as representative of the Rocky Mountain Region from 1998-2004.

Randy Berger is a graduate of Utah State University and has been with DWR for 25 years working in wetlands management. He is manager of Salt Creek, the Public Shooting Grounds, and Locomotive springs WMA. He is also the project leader for the Invasive and Noxious Weed Control Project for DWR's Waterfowl Management Areas (2006-2018).

Jeff Bilsky is one of the few individuals that have seen over 300 birds in the state of Utah in the span of one year. Jeff is entertaining, as well as informative; his trips are bound to leave you stimulated. Jeff has a vast knowledge of birds, habitats, and migrant traps in and throughout the state of Utah. Birding with Jeff is an unforgettable learning experience.

Adam Brewerton has turned his life-long love of birds into a career. As a native of Utah, he currently works for the state Division of Wildlife Resources in the Terrestrial Sensitive Species Program, since 2007. He works as both employee of the state and as a Master's student at Utah State University as part of the US Geological Survey Cooperative Research Unit. Before his current position he worked on the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho and in Yellowstone National Park. His current position is monitoring songbird population recovery following Utah's largest wildfire, the Milford Flat Fire. Like most that choose the outdoors as their office, he loves to ski, bike, hike and raft when he is not working from behind a pair of binoculars.

Howard Browers is currently the wildlife biologist at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. His background includes managing eight refuges located in northeast Oregon and southeast Washington. He hold a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from Oklahoma State University and a M.S. in Wildlife Science from South Dakota State University.

Ron Brown is co-owner of R&G Horse and Wagon with his wife, Ginger. They started doing a Roman-style rider act in a wild west show in 1970 and have wrangled horses for several major motion pictures.

Steve and Louise Brown are consummate naturalists who volunteer for the U.S. Forest Service and Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. They have completed courses in ornithology at Weber State and macro invertebrates in the Master Naturalist Program through USU.

Jaimi Butler is the coordinator for Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster college. Since 1999 Jaimi has been working in and around GSL as a field and lab biiologist for a variety of organizations. As coordinator of GSLI she manages undergraduate research, K-12 outreach and does anything she can to spend as much time at the lake as possible.

Lynn Carroll is an active member of Wasatch Audubon and past-president of Utah Audubon Council.

Terri Clemons got involved with birding when she bought a cat named Oliver seven years ago and set up a bird feeder on her balcony to keep him occupied and out of mischief. She enjoyed the birds more than the cat did, and took it up as a hobby. She especially enjoys viewing shorebirds and raptors. Terri is also a volunteer and seasonal employee at Antelope Island State Park.

Rosie Cobbley is a landscape designer and horticulturist. She is a long-time member of the Utah Water Garden Club and currently is Director of the annual Pond Tour. She is interested in the birds the water features attract and how you can plant a garden to help sustain them.

Nathan Darnall is an Ecologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. He has served as president of Great Salt Lake Audubon for several years, and enjoys birding as a hobby.

Joseph Donnell began his career in parks and recreation in 1984 working with a county parks system in Pennsylvania while attending high school and college. He graduated from slippery Rock University with a dregree in Recreation Resources Management. He has worked for the US Fish and Wildlife service in Rhode Island and Connecticut doing endangered species studies and protection. In 1992 he began a career with Utah State Parks and Recreation as a Park Ranger and is currently the Park Manager at Rockport State Park.

Kathy Donnell is the Park Naturalist at Rock Cliff State Park. She is also a volunteer for HawkWatch International and serves on the Utah Society for Environmental Education Executive Committee.

Phil Douglass has served the people and wildlife of Utah for the past 20 years. His experiences include wetland biologist, assistant manager at Farmington Bay WMA and his current assignment as Regional Conservation Outreach Manager. His current duties include managing all outreach programs for Northern Utah, which include hardware Ranch WMA, education and education programs.

DaLyn Erickson is the Rehabilitation Specialist and Executive Director at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah. She has over 13 years of experience training and working with every species of raptor as well as most non-raptor species native to Utah. Throughout these years DaLyn has also provided wildlife education programs for groups of all ages.

Bill Fenimore is affiliated with the Wild About Birds store in Layton, Utah. He was selected as the International Franchise Association's "Franchisee of the Year 2008". Bill also won in 2008 the "Roger Tory Peterson Nature Education Achievement Award" from the Roger Tory Peterson Institute and the "Ludlow Griscom Award for Outstanding Contributions to Regional Ornithology" from the American Birding Association. He is the author of "Backyard Bird Guides", a series for each of the 50 states. Bill's Wild Bird Center was selected as the Utah Business of the Year 2009 for Environmental Education by the Utah Society for Environmental Education.

Valerie Frokjer discovered her passion for birds after an Ornithology class at Weber State University, while obtaining her Bachelor's degree in Zoology. She then went on to work for Dr. John Cavitt doing a Colonial Waterbird Survey all over Utah. She is currently employed at Rio Tinto/Kennecott Utah Copper as an Ecosystem Specialist where she assists in managing the Inland Sea Shorebird Reserve (ISSR) and Kennecott-owned areas of Oquirrh Mountains.

Brian Ferguson is retired from the U.S. Forest Service. He has worked in diverse ecosystems and promotes quality habitat for many species of wildlife. He volunteers at Antelope Island State Park and Bear River National Migratory Bird Refuge. He is also a nature photographer.

Lu Giddings has been an avid birder since 2004. His love of birding dovetails nicely with his love of Utah's out-of-the-way places. He is especially interested in the avian populations of San Juan County. He enjoys photographing birds and landscapes.

Dick Gilbert is past President and also has been water master of the Ambassador Duck Club since 1993. The Ambassador is a 3,000 acre privately-managed wetlands and uplands habitat on the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. He is an avid birder and hunter.

Val Grant is president of Bio-Resources, a company looking for environmentally friendly solutions for industries. He has served three years as president of Bridgerland Audubon.

Phillip Gray is the Wildlife Nuisance and Depredation Technician for the Northern Region of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. He has a special interest in bats of Utah.

Ron Greer is a Habitat Restoration Biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. His master studies focused on Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse on the 4 Mile Ranch.

Jen Hajj is the Education Director at HawkWatch International and is known locally as "the Singing Bird Lady'. She joined HWI in 2005 and is currently working on a Master's Degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Her thesis project involves training biologists in the principles of interpretation and outdoor/expedition behavior. Jen enjoys painting, music composition and performance in her spare time.

Rich Hansen is currently Area Manager of Farmington Bay WMA.

Amy Haran is a member of the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival planning committee and currently runs the Fesitval's Facebook page. Join us at facebook.com/gslbirdfest Amy works in corporate communications, but please don't hold that against her.

Sterling Herrmann has been passionate about pond building for nearly 50 years, 20 of them as owner of Desert Water Gardens in Salt Lake City, where he grows and sells aquatic plants. He also stocks all the supplies you need to build your own pond.

Paul Higgins is an avid birder and published photographer. See his photos in 'Utah's Featured Birds & Viewing sites.'

Home Depot, Centerville has been a Festival Partner for many years. They are a great asset to our community.

Brent Houskeeper is a part time photographers since childhood. Brent remembers taking photos of baby eagles and owls over 50 years ago with a Kodak Brownie camera. In recent years he has become particularly interested in the preservation of the Ferruginous Hawk and has a text in process about it.

Dr. Frank Howe has been with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for 15 years as the Coordinator for the Partners in Flight, Mexican Spotted Owl and Non-game Avian Programs. He is currently involved with a variety of issues in avian ecology, including riparian and shrub-steppe bird monitoring, Endangered Species surveys, bird/habitat model development and population trend analyses. Frank enjoys leading field trips that offer a mixture of bird ID and ecology.

Bob Huntington has a passion for birdwatching that takes him into the field 3-4 days a week. He leads field trips for GSL Audubon and Salt lake Birders and he participated regularly for six years in the Great Salt Lake Waterbird Survey.

Dick Hurren has always been interested in birds and birding in the US, Europe and the Middle East. He served as Outings chair for Bridgerland Audubon for 6 years. He currently is a volunteer for Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

Jason Jones has a bachelor in Zoology and a minor in chemistry. He has worked for the United States Geological Survey doing Point counts in the Great Basin. He has also worked for the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Project on the Great Salt Lake. Jason is currently the assistant wetlands manager at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area. He also does aerial waterfowl surveys throughout Utah.

Jason L. Jones is from the Wasatch Front area. He holds a BS in Biology from the U of U and a MS from Idaho State University. He currently is the Native Aquatics Biologist/Herpetologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Patrick Kelly says he has been a duck hunter since the age of 12 and a birder since the age of reason. He is a member of the Ambassador Duck Club and Great Salt Lake Audubon.

Mark Larese-Casanova is Education Specialist for the Utah Botanical Center and USU's Statewide Agent for the Utah Master Naturalist Program.

Jerry Liguori has been studying raptors throughout North America since 1984. He is the author of Hawks from Every Angle (Princeton, 2005), Hawks at a Distance (Princeton, 2011), and has published various raptor-related articles. Jerry has conducted hawk migration counts at sites such as Cape May Point, Sandy Hook, Derby Hill, Braddock Bay, Whitefish Point, and Dinosaur Ridge, and the Goshute, Wasatch, and Sandia mountains, and has worked on numerous research projects regarding birds.

John Luft graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology. He has worked for DWR since 1994 at Ogden Bay WMA and Farmington Bay WMA as assistant superintendent. He is now the Project Coordinator for the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Project.

Bob MacDougal has been birding more than 20 years. He is past president of Salt Lake Birders and is an experienced field trip leader.

Wayne Martinson works as Utah Important Bird Areas Coordinator for National Audubon Society. In 2008, Keith Evans and Wayne co-authored a book titled: Utah's Featured Birds and Viewing Sites: A Conservation Platform for IBA's and BHCAs.

Larry McClurg loves the out-of-doors and is a naturalist at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.

Eric McCulley is manager of the Legacy Nature Preserve set up as mitigation for wetlands impacted by the Legacy Parkway.

Katie McVey is a Wildlife Refuge Specialist at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Brigham City, UT. She originally hails from north-central Wisconsin and holds Masters of Raptor Biology from Boise State University, where she studied burrowing owls. Katie is an avid naturalist and has passion for teaching about the out-of-doors.

Bonnie Messinger and her family began watching the Burrowing Owl colonies in the West Desert of Utah in the late 1980's. Over the next decade they observed ongoing habitat destruction and the gradual decline of some established colonies. Bonnie and her husband, Jim, began videotaping the 'Clowns of the Desert' in 1999. They joined a group (Raptor Inventory Nest Survey-RINS) of raptor enthusiasts tracking raptor nesting activity on the West Desert in 2000. Each spring and summer Bonnie observes and videotapes Burrowing Owl activity and creates educational video to give others the opportunity to watch the antics of these comical desert dwellers.

Markus Mika is the Science Director at HawkWatch International and has over 15 years of experience studying wildlife conservation science in the U.S. West. He is originally from Switzerland and immigrated to the United States in 1993. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University, and his PhD from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Dick Mueller is a professor at Utah State University and an active member of Bridgerland Audubon.

Alan Myrup is a biology and AP biology teacher at Timpview High School in Provo. He has a BS in Zoology (Biology Composite) from BYU and an MEd from Utah State in Education (Project: Ecology Field Studies for High School Students). He is a member of Utah Lepidopterists Society (over 30 years and current Editor), Lepidopterists Society, Odonata Society of the Americas (dragonflies), and the National Association of Biology Teachers. Alan has received the USTA Life Science Teacher of the Year in 2000 and the Provo School District Excellence in Teaching Award in 2009. Alan enjoys collecting butterflies and dragonflies, birding, hiking, fishing and canoeing.

Heidi Nedreberg is Community Outreach Coordinator for the Utah Office of The Nature Conservancy.

Ann Neville has been the manager of Kennecott's Inland Sea Shorebird Reserve since it opened in 1997. She is the North American representative for Birdlife International and their Birds and the Environment partnership with Rio Tinto.

Dr. Russ Norvell has been working in the field with the birds of Utah for the past 16 years. Currently, he works with Utah's Non-game Avian program designing and conducting research on Utah's riparian and shrubsteppe bird population trends, and is finishing his graduate studies (USU) on the shrubsteppe-obligate birds of Rich County.

Jim Parrish, PhD is the Utah Partners in Flight Coordinator. He has a Ph.D. in ornithology with extensive experience in raptor research and neotropical bird monitoring. He enjoys wildlife photography and bird watching.

Eric Peterson has worked at Utah's Hogle Zoo since 1994. He is a senior keeper there and works with the Elephants and Rhinos. He is an active member of the Utah County birders and a Citizen Scientist for Hawkwatch International. He is also a published photographer, with a passion for catching wildlife through the lens of a camera.

Julie Ripplinger is a shrubsteppe bird enthusiast and graduate student at Utah State University. She fell in love with the sagebrush landscape in 2004 while working with sagebrush-obligate songbirds, and now spends most of her time researching the historical ecology of Rich County shrubsteppe.

Vivian Schneggenburger began doing river trips many years ago and has been enthralled with the bird life along our Western river corridors. As a nurse she has a flexible schedule and spends time birding while hiking, river running and skiing.

Bret Selman and his family are the owners of 4-Mile Ranch. They have been caretakers of this unique land for generations and are avid birdwatchers.

Bryan Shirley is the owner/operator of Bryan Shirley Birding and Nature Tours www.bshirleybirding.com Bryan got interested in 'birding' as a hobby about when he graduated from high school. He has lived in Hawaii, Japan, and Kentucky where he fell in love with warblers. He has a B.A. in Japanese/International Economics. Birding and Nature Tours became a full time job 6 years ago.

Dennis Shirley is a retired Conservation Officer for Utah Dept. of Wildlife Resources. He is a well known local birder and as of 2006 holds the Utah Bug Year Record. He is an active member of Utah County Birders.

Lee Shirley is a former Biology teacher and has served as President of Utah Audubon Council. He is on the Northern Region Adivisory Council of the DWR, President of Wasatch Audubon Society, on the Board of the Ogden Nature Center and Friends of the Bear River Refuge. Lee and Paula Shirley enjoy sharing their enthusiasm for birds and birding.

Doug Sims is a professional photographer from Davis County. He is the co-founder/president of the Photgraphix Camera Club of Layton, Utah and board member of the Salt Lake Photo Club. Doug teaches the Wildlife Photography Class at the Tracy Aviary.

Arnold Smith has been interested in birds, especially their nesting behavior since he was eight years old. He is a long time active member of Wasatch Audubon.

Weston Smith grew up watching birds with his father, Arnold. As a lifetime resident of Morgan County he has spent countless hours bird watching in different areas of the county. Weston also enjoys feeding birds and has counted approximately 124 species of birds in his yard over the past 6 years. Weston is a new member of the Board of Directors for Wasatch Audubon Society.

Ella Sorensen is a well-known Utah birder and author and has worked and spoken avidly to protect bird habitats in the state. Ella is manager of the National Audubon Society's Gillmor Sanctuary on the south shore of Great Salt Lake.

Kathi Stopher has been the Visitor Services Manager for Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Natural Resources Educator for nearly 20 years. She is the mother of 3. As an outdoor enthusiast, she loves to hike in the mountains, watch wildlife, and engage in all things wilderness. She is inspired by Aldo Leopold's writings to change career paths and take education to the out-of-doors.

Les Talbot is a retired Biology teacher, and has been an avid birder for the last 10 years. He is the fieldtrip chairman for the Wasatch Audubon, and sits on their Board of Directors. He currently volunteers at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge teaching Environmental Education classes, and leading bird tours.

Carla Koons Trentelman, Ph.D., assistant professor in sociology at Weber State University, earned her Ph.D. in sociology at Utah State University in 2009, specializing in environmental and natural resource sociology and community sociology. Her dissertation research, titled, "Big, Smelly, Salty Lake that I Call Home: Sense of Place with a Mixed Amenity Setting", focuses on the relationships those who live closest to Great Salt Lake have with the lake. In her spare time, Carla is drawn to the birds of GSL.

Al Trout graduated from Colorado State University in 1971 with a degree in Wildlife Management. For the next 35 years he was employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a Refuge Manager in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and finally at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. His primary responsibility was the restoration, expansion and enhancement of the Refuge in the aftermath of flood damage inflicted by rising water of Great Salt Lake in 1983-87. Now retired, Al is a member of the Friends of Bear River Refuge, Wasatch Audubon, and Friends of Great Salt Lake.

Todd Turner is an avid scouter and former Venturing Crew Advisor. He is a current Unit Committee Training Chairman, Deseret Peak District (Tooele) Venturing Forum Commissioner and Great Salt Lake Council University of Scouting Chairman. He says, "Cub scouting with my son turned me on to birding about 4 years ago. So, I am still very new and enthusiastic about this new hobby and passion. And so far, my wife and four children are enjoying the adventure as well!"

Jim Van Leeuwen assists John Luft with the Great Salt Lake boat tours.

Bob Walters is the DWR's Watchable Wildlife Program Coordinator. He initiated Bald Eagle Day in 1990 and has led/hosted myriad Watchable Wildlife Program Field Trips for years. He instigated and continues to maintain, nurture and sustain the famous Salt Lake City peregrine falcon family in downtown SLC. With the cooperation of the LDS Church and SLC Peregrine Falcon Watchpost Team volunteers, Bob informs, educates and showcases the falcon family to passersby, spearheads the annual vigil to safeguard the first flights of the young-of-the-year birds and, since 2006, makes possible real-time, worldwide web coverage of the family via the SLC Peregrine Falcon Cam.

Jennifer Waterhouse is an Education Specialist with Tracy Aviary's Bird Programs Department in Salt Lake City. Her soft spot for birds developed early in life during long saunters and hikes through the Wasatch Range and continued to grow as she completed a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies at Westminster College and an education internship at Tracy Aviary.

Jon Watkins is a casual birder originally from Cache Valley, Utah where his appreciation of birds grew from the many trips logged between Mendon and Logan, through marshes surrounding the Little Bear River. today, he and his family enjoy tramping around the state as time allows, enjoying the wildlife, scenery and adventure Utah affords.

Roberta Wherritt is a Great Salt Lake Audubon member who has enjoyed birding on the Jordan River Parkway for the past six years since moving back to Salt Lake City.

Boyd White currently works as an environmental scientist at Deseret Chemical Depot and part time as a Wildlife Technician for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. He has a BS in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Fish and Wildlife from Oregon State University and an MS in Rangeland Ecosystem Science from Colorado State University. In 2007 Boyd worked on a master's thesis to validate a graphic information system model for predicting Burrowing owl habitat at Dugway Proving Ground and surrounding areas. While working on the thesis he volunteered to collect research data for a DoD Legacy Project for the Migratory Linkages of Burrowing Owls which required trapping and banding the owls, taking morphological data, and collecting blood and feather samples for DNA and radio isotope analysis. In 2005 - 2006 he volunteered with trapping, fitting with radio collars, and track Greater Sage-grouse in Tooele County. Boyd is Chairman of the West Deseret Adaptive Resource Management Local Working Group for Sage-grouse.

Rosilie Winard has traveled the country by foot, canoe, airboat, and ATV for over a decade photographing the large birds of the wetlands from Florida to California, Louisiana to North Dakota. She is the author of 'Wild Bird of the American Wetlands'.

Nacole Wilson works for the Avian Ecology Lab at Weber State University on Ogden, Utah. She has birding experience on the east coast as well as Great Salt Lake.

Ben Woodruff has been training and handling raptors for 22 years. He has had the opportunity to train and work with every species of diurnal and nocturnal raptor native to Utah as a practicing falconer, wildlife educator, and aiding in raptor rehabilitation. Ben is the author of the book "Trapping Essentials", an illustrated guide for biologists, bird banders, and falconers. Ben is the Director of the John Hutchings Museum in Lehi Utah and presents educational programs featuring live raptors.

Larene Wyss has been birding for 14 years. In 2001 she achieved the Utah Big Year record and held it for three years.

Utah Water Garden Club is a social club, bringing members with common pond garden habitat interests together. Members hold pond side meetings, have speakers, provide hands on education, and offer a 'show and tell'. The valley wide Annual Pond Tour of members' ponds is in August.

Presenters, Workshop Leaders & Field Trip Guides

Presenters, Workshop Leaders
& Field Trip Guides