AWWI welcomes new Science Advisor Dr. Sarah Saunders, Quantitative Ecologist with the National Audubon Society. Sarah completed her PhD in conservation biology at the University of Minnesota and her graduate work focused on Great Lakes piping plovers, an endangered shorebird. She has expertise in quantitative ecology and population dynamics modeling. Her research for Audubon’s Science Division primarily focuses on marshbirds and waterbirds in the Great Lakes region, as well as climate-related work at the national level. She is interested in applying innovative quantitative methods to understand the demography, distribution, and trend of wildlife populations.
Sarah joins a team of six other scientific experts who provide input and expertise on AWWI’s research and publications.
“We are very pleased to have Sarah join as an AWWI Science Advisor,” said Dr. Taber Allison, AWWI Director of Research. “Her quantitative skills and background in population modeling will be a great asset to ensuring the rigor of relevant AWWI research, and we look forward to having her perspective and expertise on the team.”
Learn more about Sarah and her role at Audubon, and view all AWWI Science Advisors.
Q&A with Dr. Sarah Saunders
What interests you about wind energy & wildlife science, and why is this field of study important?
I am new to the world of wind energy and wildlife, and that’s part of what interests me – it’s an opportunity to grow and learn. With my background in ornithology and as a conservation biologist, I am particularly interested in understanding more about bird mortality due to anthropogenic causes, wind energy’s impacts on birds, and the actions we can take to minimize population declines. I am also fascinated by the intersection between promoting renewable energy while also minimizing impacts on wildlife. Finding those “win-win” situations that benefit both people and wildlife is a big motivation for me.
What wind-wildlife topics are you most interested in?
My background and research are largely focused in the Great Lakes region. While there is increasing interest in wind energy development in the Great Lakes, there is still much we need to learn about potential impacts to the area’s wildlife. In particular, I’m very interested in understanding the potential impacts to breeding shorebirds and colonial waterbirds due to near-shore or offshore developments. The Great Lakes is a whole different ecosystem than the coasts, and it presents some different challenges. I’m interested to see what we can apply from what we’ve learned elsewhere while also tackling the issues that are unique to the Great Lakes region.
Why were you interested joining the AWWI Science Advisor team?
I was thrilled to be asked to join the team. I am always looking for ways to apply my quantitative expertise to management and conservation-related questions. This seemed like a great opportunity to do just that, as well as to learn more about wind and wildlife. At Audubon, I am most passionate about projects that enable me to bridge the gap between conservation science and management outcomes, and being a Science Advisor for AWWI will allow me to continue to work at that interface.
I am also eager to learn from, and collaborate with, other Advisors who have been in this role for a while, as well as to bring my own perspective to the table.
What do you hope to contribute in this role?
I hope to lend my quantitative expertise and background in population dynamics modeling to the applied research AWWI works on. As a newcomer to the field of wind-wildlife science, I believe that I can bring a fresh, “outsider” perspective that can promote creative thinking and new directions for the Science Advisor team. I hope to ask good questions that help push things forward so we can best support AWWI’s work and the transition to a renewable energy economy that is sustainable for wildlife in a scientifically robust way.