Anna Morris, Director, Wildlife Ambassador Programs, Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Quechee, Vermont, USA
Anna’s passion for birds of prey was first kindled at The Raptor Trust’s wildlife rehabilitation facility in Millington, NJ, where she volunteered and worked starting in 2009. While pursuing a degree in Animal Science at Cornell University, she expanded her expertise in environmental education and wildlife husbandry as the Educator Director for the Cornell Raptor Program. In 2016, she completed a graduate degree in Raptor Biology at Boise State University, studying the social behavior of Striated Caracaras in the Falkland Islands. Even then, she knew her passion still lay with environmental education, and volunteered as a docent at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, ID. Today, at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, she oversees a dynamic team of native North American raptor ambassadors, prioritizing welfare, choice, and natural history in their care and training. She joined IAATE in 2018 and became a Certified Professional Bird trainer through the IATCB. Anna currently serves on the Education Committee of the IAATE’s Board of Directors, and loves getting into deep, imaginative conversations with young learners. She is also a writer, with her work appearing in The Outside Story, NPR Book Reviews, and Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, and of course The Flyer! Anna lives in Vermont with her husband, a cat, four pigeons, and a tortoise.
