Kim Hubbard/Audubon magazine

Melanie Driscoll is the National Audubon Society's director of bird conservation for the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi Flyway. In 2010, Melanie was a vital leader in Audubon's response to BP's Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, working with various partners in charge of rescuing wildlife affected by the spill, coordinating volunteer efforts, and a speaking with a strong, credible voice to media and the public.

She continues to spearhead the identification and prioritization of conservation sites along the coast and flyway, plus designing and implement scientifically rigorous conservation plans. Melanie Driscoll also leads a team of Important Bird Area (IBA) coordinators in the region, part of a global effort to  evaluate threats and conservation opportunities. 

Melanie has been involved in bird conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River region since 2006, first as the Important Bird Areas coordinator for Louisiana, and then as director of bird conservation for Audubon’s Louisiana Coastal Initiative, starting in 2008. In Louisiana, she implemented the Important Bird Areas program, from site identification to conservation planning and the development of site support groups working on restoration efforts at key IBAs.

Before joining Audubon, Melanie worked for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the USGS Vermont Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and as a community forestry extension agent in Thailand, through the Peace Corps. There she initiated the planting of 110,000 trees in a deforested land settlement, led several environmental training projects and taught ecology and conservation to high school students. She holds a master of science from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Sample media interviews:

"On a Wing and a Prayer" by Liz Welch, Real Simple http://bit.ly/d8bz6P

Melanie Driscoll talks to NPR’s Melissa Block http://n.pr/bdlZUu

"Most of the toll is unseen" says Audubon expert http://bit.ly/bSwFba

Driscoll talks about Recovery Chances for Pelicans in New York Times http://bit.ly/bza0MQ

Driscoll in New York Times: Brown Pelican Hit Hard  http://nyti.ms/a8VcPW

Driscoll on NPR; discusses impacts on ecosystem & birds http://n.pr/atKdiq

CBS Evening News: Jeff Corwin with Audubon’s Greg Butcher & Melanie Driscoll http://bit.ly/9mEr8b

To request an interview or photo, contact

DAVID J. RINGER
Communications Coordinator
National Audubon Society  
Tel 601-661-6189
dringer@audubon.org

or

DELTA WILLIS
Senior Communications Manager
National Audubon Society  
Tel 212-979-3197  
dwillis@audubon.org