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Author: KBO

John Alexander, PhD

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As Klamath Bird Observatory co-founder, John works with KBO’s Board of Directors, Research Advisor, Science Director, Outreach and Science Communications Specialist, and Executive Administrator overseeing all aspects of the organization’s efforts.

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Shannon Rio, President

Shannon Rio is on the board of the Klamath Bird Observatory because of its work to preserve birds and wild places in nature. She is a wildlife educator with a goal to connect people (and herself) with nature so that they will want to protect what they love.

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Jaime Stephens, MS

Director of Conservation

As Director of Conservation, Jaime integrates a foundation of forest ecology, bird conservation priorities, and regional avian science to inform land management decisions. She collaborates with a diverse suite of partners to guide resource management strategies and conservation actions that improve outcomes for birds and ecosystems.
Her current work focuses on oak woodland restoration in southwest Oregon and northern California and, more broadly, across the Pacific Northwest; oak habitats host some of our most at-risk bird species. At the local level, she coordinates the Klamath-Siskiyou Oak Network, a partnership with a proven track record of leveraging multi-million-dollar projects to restore imperiled oak habitats. She is also involved in several forest collaboratives working to restore forests to reduce wildfire risks, increase climate resilience, and enhance wildlife habitat.
Jaime works closely with the science team at KBO to answer the most pressing questions to inform efforts to halt the decline of western birds. As science continues to elucidate the causes of decline for at-risk bird species, Jaime ensures we take the next steps to co-produce outcome-oriented conservation efforts that are inclusive of not only conservation decision-makers but also impacted communities, interested parties, and rights-holders.
Jaime has 25 years of experience working in ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. She earned her BS in Zoology and Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She joined KBO in the spring of 2002 as a Master’s student at Southern Oregon University. She completed a thesis comparing the effects of various timber harvest prescriptions of forest interior songbirds. From 2008-2022, Jaime was KBO’s Science Director, overseeing and growing our long-term monitoring and applied ecology programs. During that time, she published more than 20 papers examining focal species; bird communities related to environment and climate; and avian response to grazing, wildfire, hazardous fuel reduction, and restoration. Her publications have also examined migratory movements, connectivity, spatial and temporal components of molt, and site fidelity. In addition, she has authored five conservation plans that are the foundation of her current work.
Klamathbird.org/jaime-stephens

Jacob McNab

DIRECTOR’S ASSISTANT AND ADMINISTRATOR

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Jacob joined KBO in September of 2016 after moving to Ashland from the San Francisco Bay area in California. He wears many hats as the Office Administrator, including assisting the Executive Director.

Jacob received a BA in Economics from the University of California, Davis in 2015.

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Sarah Rockwell, PhD

SENIOR RESEARCH BIOLOGIST

Sarah Rockwell bio cropped (72ppi 4x)Sarah manages several KBO programs monitoring birds at riparian and coniferous restoration sites, and studying the ecology of specific bird species of conservation concern. She uses multiple methodologies in her research, including point counts, spot-mapping, nest-searching, and new technology such as archival GPS tags; analyzes data; and delivers results to diverse audiences.

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Caitlyn Gillespie, MS

RESEARCH BIOLOGIST

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Caitlyn joined KBO in August 2016 to assist with ongoing research, including the oak habitat conservation and species distribution modeling projects.

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Dick Ashford, MS

DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Dick first joined the KBO Board in Spring 2005.  He served as Board President from 2007 to 2009, when he was elected as Board Chair of the American Birding Association, a position he held until late 2010. Shortly after completing those duties, he was re-elected as KBO’s President in December 2010 and served again until 2013.

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US State of the Birds Reports

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Klamath Bird Observatory staff members serve on US North American Bird Conservation Initiative State of the Birds committees, collaborating with our country’s leading bird conservation agencies and organizations to produce U.S. State of the Birds Reports. These reports represent political, popular, and scientific recognition that birds serve as high-level indicators of the health of the country’s natural resources.

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Carol Mockridge

Carol moved to Ashland from Seattle in 2013 after an extensive search for the ideal place to retire. Birding and volunteering are high on her life list. She learned about the upcoming first Mountain Bird Festival while taking Harry Fuller’s Winter Birds of Ashland class and volunteered to be the marketing kingbird.

She believes KBO mission is critical to give our leaders and citizens the information to make decisions that will protect our environment in the future.

Carol has a BFA in Fine Arts from Washington State University and a BA in Communications from University of Washington. She taught high school art, graphic design and photography for 9 years. She then worked for county government for 25 years in various public relations, marketing and communications positions. Carol also served as webmaster for Pierce County.

Carol enjoys hiking, cycling, kayaking and world travel. Birding is always an integral part of these adventures.

Partners in Flight Conservation Plans

The Partners in Flight (PIF) plans are guides to landbird conservation. Use the 2016 PIF International Landbird Conservation Plan as a guide for landbird conservation in the United States and Canada over the next 10 years and the California PIF and Oregon-Washington PIF state-level plans for specific regional habitats.

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