Atlas Team

We are currently hiring for summer of 2024!

View job announcement here.

Meet the Atlas Team:

The atlas is a big, long-term effort involving many organizations and thousands of volunteers. Learn more about our team!

Regional Coordinator Teams

Regional Coordinators volunteer on an ecoregion team (Mountains, Piedmont, Coast) typically focusing on one of three subregions in the ecoregion. Meet the Team!

Regional Coordinators

cover a subregion of 9-13 counties containing between 74 to 147 priority blocks.
help recruit volunteers and support survey efforts
track and review data and results.

For a complete description of the role, please review the Regional Coordinat or Duties. We are currently in the process of recruiting. If you wish to apply, please complete this form.

Wildlife Conservation Technicians

A team of experienced, field technicians is hired annually to assist in the NC bird atlas data collection. These technicians survey throughout their assigned work areas with specific focus on remote and under birded areas.

Mountain Region Technician

Lead Technician: Myra Kincaid (eBird profile) is a life-long lover of nature and outdoor adventure. She studied Biology at the University of North Georgia (B.S.), where she conducted an extensive year-long survey of the bird-population and vegetation on campus. She traveled the Catskills Mountains of New York collecting bird observations and recordings for the Breeding Bird Atlas by Cornell. Myra has studied the flora and fauna of the Southern Appalachians for many years and knows most local birds by sight or sound. She has also traveled to discover new birds in Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and Ecuador.

Piedmont Region Technician

Lead Technician: Alicia Bachman (eBird profile) has a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Guilford College. Her previous work with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission focused on gathering data for a study of the winter habitat use of marsh sparrows. She has led bird banding projects in Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and North Carolina. She has also worked on a number of avian projects, including the study of population density and breeding success of grassland birds in Montana, as well as community science projects across North Carolina.

Coastal Region Technician

- Lead Technician: Silas Hernandez (eBird profile) is originally from NJ and graduated with a B.S. in Biology from East Stroudsburg University. He’s worked on various avian field research projects over the years. From locating salt marsh birds in Delaware Bay for SHARP to camping on an island off the coast of Maine to monitor tern and heron populations for Project Puffin, Silas is fulfilling his dream of studying birds in their natural habitat. Most recently, in the fall of 2023, he was the official counter at the Montclair Hawk Watch which is the 2nd oldest continuous hawk watch in the nation. Here he counted a total of 16,579 migrating raptors. When he’s not outside birding, Silas likes gaming and creating art.

Past Technicians

- - Andrew Rapp (2023)
  - Jack Rogers (2023)
  - Zane Fish (2023)
  - Reanna Thomas (2023)
  - Will Bennett (2023)
  - Charlie Ayers (2023)
  - Lucas Wilson (2023)
  - Christian Smith (2023)
  - Duncan Fraser (2023)
  - Elsa Chen (2021-2023)
  - Matt Janson (2021-2022)
  - Clayton Gibb (2021-2022)
  - Daniel Watson (2022)
  - Martina Nordstrand (2021-2022)
  - Adrianna Nelson (2022)
  - Davis Balser (2022)
  - Steven Backus (2021)
  - Max Nootbaar (2021)

Steering Committee

John Hammond, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Dr. Joe Poston, Catawba College
Curtis Smalling, Audubon North Carolina
John Carpenter, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Chair (2019-2022)
Scott Anderson, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Nathan Tarr, US Geologic Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, NC State University
Dr. Jamie Rotenberg, University of North Carolina-Wilmington (2019-2021)
Kristopher Smith, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Atlas Coordinator (2020-2021)

Science Sub-committee

John Carpenter, Co-Chair, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Nathan Tarr, Co-Chair, US Geologic Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, NC State University
Scott Anderson, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Dr. Joe Poston, Catawba College
Will Ricks, Duke Energy
Dr. Scott Pearson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Elsa Chen, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Dr. Jamie Rotenberg, University of North Carolina-Wilmington (2019-2021)
Kristopher Smith, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Atlas Coordinator (2020-2021)

Outreach Sub-committee

C.C. King, Co-Chair, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Lee Sherrill, Co-Chair, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Scott Anderson, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Chair (2020-2022)
Allison Medford, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Malorey Henderson, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Ben Graham, Audubon North Carolina
Curtis Smalling, Audubon North Carolina
John Stanton, US Fish and Wildlife Service (2020-2022)
Elsa Chen, NC Wildlife Resources Commission (2021-2023)
Rebekah Wofford, Blue Jay Point County Park
Paula Mandarino, NC Wildlife Resources Commission (2020-2021)
Liani Yirka, City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (2019)
Mike Campbell, NC Wildlife Resources Commission (2019-2021)
John Ann Shearer, US Fish and Wildlife Service (2019-2022)
Mindy Wharton, NC Wildlife Resources Commission (2021-2022)
Kristopher Smith, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Atlas Coordinator (2020-2021)

Partners

Our partner organizations are key to the success of the Atlas. If your organization is interested in contributing, please contact us to explore opportunities!