Free Event Admission

Adults

Three guests from Audubon New York will present on shorebirds that nest on the beaches of Long Island and how Audubon New York works to protect these species through stewardship, monitoring, and community engagement. Our speakers will cover multiple species that call Long Island their home from spring to fall and will cover their behavior, major disturbances to their nesting success and how guests can take part in conservation this breeding season.

Learn more about our speakers below!

Our Speakers:

Shelby Casas - Coast Program Associate, Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center

Prior to her role with Audubon New York, Shelby worked with Audubon Connecticut as a seasonal Coastal Water bird technician. She started her birding journey at Clarkson University studying Golden-winged Warblers population distribution in Northern New York where she graduated with a BS in Biology and focus on Environmental Science. She has been working with shorebirds for four years and oversees the Coastal Stewardship program for Audubon New York and is based at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Center in Oyster Bay.

Kathryn D’Amico - Center Director, Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center

A native Long Islander, Kathryn had an early career in business and after starting a family, she returned to school where she graduated from SUNY ESC with a BS in Environmental Science. She moved to Austin, Texas where she worked at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower. She began volunteering on many habitats restoration projects, as well as native plant projects and vegetation surveys. After moving back to her hometown on Long Island, she began volunteering for Audubon. This led her to a position at TR Sanctuary & Audubon Center, where over the last eight years she has combined her environmental education and her business background.

Julie Nelsen - Education Manager, Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center

A graduate of York College in Pennsylvania, prior to joining Audubon Julie was in AmeriCorp Western Region NCCC and participated in forestry work, special needs projects for children, and childhood education programming. Due to her inspirational experiences with AmeriCorp, she discovered in her heart she wanted to go back to school for a master’s in childhood education. Julie holds a Professional Certification in Childhood Education from NYS. She has taught in both the public school setting as well as on the water and beach as a marine science Education Director for a not-for-profit marine education center. She has been with Audubon New York for eight years.