Katie B. Barnes

former Coastal Stewardship Manager, Audubon Delta

Katie has a Master of Science degree from East Stroudsburg University where she focused on Louisiana Waterthrush nesting ecology and published a paper detailing that work in Northeastern Naturalist. She has worked at the Costa Rica Bird Observatory and Powdermill Avian Research Center as a bird bander, with the University of Illinois as a field biologist to detail the ecology of Fort Polk and endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, and with a consulting firm to monitor endangered Southwest Willow Flycatchers, among other exciting experiences. As an Audubon Louisiana 2016 and 2017 coastal bird technician, Katie established the beach-nesting stewardship program in Cameron Parish. She built many positive relationships with community leaders, landowners, and other groups, and created a strong foundation for our program to grow. She then went on to help the Birmingham Audubon Society build their first beach-nesting bird protection program, where she identified critical nesting sites, built strong relationships with landowners and wildlife agencies to increase awareness of the conservation issues, and provided important recommendations to coastal restoration planners that will have lasting benefits to the birds of that region. With Audubon Delta, Katie led our coastal bird stewardship program, monitoring and stewarding birds and coordinating with volunteers in Louisiana

Articles by Katie B. Barnes

Black Skimmers Successfully Nest on Louisiana Mainland for First Time in a Decade
September 30, 2021 — These seabirds capitalized on a restored beach in southwest Louisiana this year after several hurricanes.
Louisiana Beach Rocked by Two Hurricanes is Ready for Nesting Birds
March 25, 2021 — Volunteers removed thousands of pounds of hurricane debris and helped southwest Louisiana bounce back from a tough hurricane season.