Rachel Schutes

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Rachel grew up playing in the woods by her house, an upbringing that sparked her love of nature and inspired her current career path. She attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst and graduated with a bachelor's degree in wildlife ecology and conservation. Since graduating, Rachel has worked for a variety of state and federal agencies, including USGS, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. During that time, she has contributed to projects involving sea turtles, shorebirds, waterfowl, passerines, and a variety of herpetofauna. She also spent nearly 8 years of her career monitoring and managing the federally threatened (previously endangered) red-cockaded woodpecker. Before coming to Audubon, Rachel worked for two years at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC, assisting the wildlife and forestry branches with red-cockaded woodpecker monitoring and prescribed burning. Rachel is excited to join Audubon South Carolina as a Working Lands Program Coordinator. She hopes to contribute the knowledge and expertise she's gained throughout her career to make the program the best it can be.