Darrell has been birding since 2012 and has been leading field trips since 2014 for BIBT’s Warblers on the Water. He is a past president (and current vice-president) of the Petoskey Regional Audubon Society, has co-chaired the Sunset Coast Birding Trail Development team, and is a past member of the Michigan Bird Records Committee. He routinely leads field trips around Michigan.

Brennan is a Dietary Cook at Newaygo Medical Care Facility. However his occupation doesn’t slow him down from exploring the world of birding. Brennan’s knowledge is centralized in NorthEast American Birds, but he is always eager to expand his knowledge. His favorite bird is the Cedar Waxwing. In high school Brennan ran a birding podcast with his fellow birder, Terry Grabill. You can find it at BirdGoober.com Brennan’s love for birding is infectious, he loves to share his passion with anyone willing to listen.

Brennan is 21 years old. Despite his young age, he has almost 10 years of birding experience under his belt. It all started in the 6th grade when an even younger Brennan won a raffle his school was hosting. His prize? To go birding with his favorite teacher, Mr. Terry Grabill. Since that special day spent birding in Newaygo County, Brennan’s passion for birding has soared.

Brian is a recently retired Optometrist living in Manistee. He has been birding for fifty-three years and was fortunate to both be on the crest of the new field birding in the 1970’s and the now technical/digital media birding revolution of the 2020’s. He is a former member of the Michigan Bird Records Committee, one of the editors of the ABA Birder’s Guide to Michigan, the current eBird reviewer for North West Michigan, and bird trip leader for several conservation organizations in Michigan. He enjoys birding in the tropics and has recently returned from birding trips to Brazil and Ecuador. His favorite activity is getting anyone of any age interested in birding by getting them on their “spark” bird.

 

Ed is a retired Professor Emeritus of biology at Centenary College of Louisiana where he taught ecology, conservation biology and microbiology and developed the campus arboretum. He has been coming to the Island since 1985 and has taught at the Central Michigan University Biological Station. He is the senior author of Plants of Beaver Island, Part I: Bogs and Fens and Part II: Lake Michigan Beaches and Sand Dunes and spends summers at his house on Sand Bay while continuing to investigate the island flora and participating in island conservation efforts.

 

Jeff Scofield, like his wife Dr. Nancy Seefelt, works for Central Michigan University in the Dept of Biology.  Jeff is a frequent visitor to Beaver Island and has been since taking classes at the CMU Biological Station as both an undergraduate back in the late 80s, earning a B.S. Degree in Biology, and then as a graduate student, where he earned a M.S. Degree working with spiders.  If Jeff sees a board or piece of metal lying on the ground, rest assured that he will flip it over in hopes of finding a snake or two underneath.  In addition, if he’s not looking for snakes and spiders, there’s a good chance you might see him metal detecting or rock hounding on a beach.  But the most likely activity you will see him doing is riding a bicycle around the Island.  Jeff is an avid mountain biker and gravel road biker and has traveled around the country, along with Nancy, in pursuit of fun trails and enjoyable gravel roads.

Jeff most recently led events at WoW 2023.

Gina has been visiting Beaver Island since 2018 and became a resident in 2020. She is a self taught mushroom hunter who has discovered the treasures Beaver Island. She has been studying Mycology through the Midwest American Mycology Information course and working on her Michigan certification. Gina uses the mushrooms she forages for exploring culinary and medical uses. Not only does she forage fungi, she finds uses for many plants and berries she finds on the island. She’s also an avid fisherman who spends hours on Lake Geneserath. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of Beaver Island with people who enjoy the passion of foraging.

Gina most recently led events at WoW 2023.

Linnea Rowse is the Great Lakes Private Lands Director for the American Bird Conservancy. She is an avid birder and has worked in the avian conservation field for more than 15 years, with work experiences ranging from breeding ecology field work, migratory stopover habitat research, songbird banding, behavioral studies, and habitat management and restoration for forest and grassland birds and wildlife. Linnea has a B.S. in Wildlife and Conservation Biology from the University of Rhode Island, and a M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from The Ohio State University. Linnea’s passion lies in connecting birds and people while employing ecologically sound science, research, and education to accomplish landscape-scale bird conservation.

Linnea most recently led events during WoW 2022.