Get to know your Regional Coordinator
Divided among nine sub-regions, Regional Coordinators assist atlas volunteers across the state’s three physiographic ecoregions. They collect data, recruit help, and collaborate with NCWRC ecoregion staff.
Coastal Ecoregion
COASTAL ECOREGION: ncba.coastal@gmail.com
Region 1
Sarah Toner
Sarah Toner. I’ve been a dedicated birder since I was eight years old. I went to Cornell University and worked for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where I helped expand the Merlin Bird ID app. I now live and work in the Outer Banks. In addition to birding, I love observing other aspects of the natural world such as plants and butterflies. I enjoy Atlasing because it helps me be a more attentive birder and encourages me to explore under covered areas. I’m excited to help the North Carolina Bird Atlas and share the fun of Atlasing!
Region 2
Christine Stoughton Root
Christine Stoughton Root. While living in Delaware, Ohio the sight of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the feeder drove my desire to start identifying birds. However, my first real attention to birding and listing started in 1997 when my husband and I took to our sailboat “Twelfth Night” and traveled around the world for 14 years. On my return to the States, I had to familiarize myself with North American birds. We settled back on land in December 2010 in Merritt, NC, at which time I joined the local bird club. While attending the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Florida, I made my first major investment in equipment. I then joined the Carolina Bird Club, where I started to understand the nature of the “Birding Community”. I volunteered on the CBC Board for 8 years, first for 6 years as Chair of the Grant Committee, during which we developed a self- sustaining Young Birders Scholarship fund, followed by 2 years as President. I have no formal education in ornithology but am still learning thru passion, persistence and patience. I enjoy sharing the world of birds with all walks of life, and I appreciate the opportunity to be involved with the NC Bird Atlas.
Region 4
John Carpenter
John Carpenter – I am a Wildlife Diversity Biologist for the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and have been working with birds for over twenty years. Some of the projects I have been involved with, other than the NC Bird Atlas, include: Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and the Safe Harbor Program, Cerulean Warblers along the Lower Roanoke River, Loggerhead Shrikes, and Wayne’s Black-throated Green Warblers. I am looking forward to working more closely with our volunteer atlasers and partners in southeastern NC.
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Piedmont Ecoregion
PIEDMONT ECOREGION ncba.piedmont@gmail.com
Region 3
Kara Reichart
Kara Reichart. I have been a lifelong bird enthusiast, starting as a child when my artist grandfather took me out to the Chesapeake Bay on the weekends and taught me how to identify all the waterfowl species he used as models for his original wood carvings and paintings. After being bitten by the birding bug early on, I’ve subsequently birded in all 50 states over the course of my life at least once, and continue to enjoy finding new species to appreciate. As for my day jobs, I am a Lecturer in Anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, but when I’m not working, I’m birding. I’m excited to be a part of this very important project!
Region 5
VACANT – If you are interested in volunteering, please review RC Duties and Complete Application. If you have questions, Please to reach out via email.
Region 6
Ellen Wisner
Ellen Wisner. Ellen is a faculty member at UNC Charlotte where she teaches a variety of biology courses including Biology of Birds. With the help of her students she set up and monitors a set of bird houses on the campus of UNC Charlotte. Her biological expertise is in animal behavior, specifically how urban noise influences song and mate choice in birds. In the past few years she has gotten more interested in bird diversity and identification, and is working on becoming better at identifying local species. As a part of the NC Atlas regional coordinator team she hopes to help more people from throughout the region, including younger adults, to get involved in the project.
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Mountain Ecoregion
MOUNTAIN ECOREGION ncba.mountains@gmail.com
Region 7
Guy McGrane
Guy McGrane. After birding for many years I’ve come to appreciate the importance of fertile soils which encourage lush growth and provide cover and food for many species of birds. Wherever I see sustained presence of lots of birds, there I usually find rich deep organic soils. So I encourage people to do whatever they can to slow erosion. To make it simple and memorable, if you like wildlife and you like nature, then “Let nature run wild!”
Region 8
John Caveny
John Caveny. John is the Director of Education and Natural Resources for the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation in Linville, NC. John has enjoyed birds all of his life, but did not really take a special interest in them until he started working for GMSF about 8 years ago. Since then, he has participated in several avian-focused citizen science projects, including organizing the annual HawkWatch event at Grandfather Mountain. John loves to see new people get involved in nature and develop a passion for our state’s natural resources.
Lauren Farrell
Lauren Farrell. Lauren first became interested in birds while working with Peregrine falcons nesting on buildings and bridges in New York City. Since then, she has traveled around the U.S. working in natural resources and environmental education from the White Mountains in New Hampshire to the Redwoods of Northern California and now the southern Appalachians. Lauren is proud to manage the Education Department with the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation and be able to share the excitement of the Blackburnian warblers, annual HawkWatch and all the fun visitors to our feeders with the guests and school groups.
Region 9
Mike Resch
Mike Resch. I’ve been a birder since getting my first pair of binoculars at 8 years of age. Since then I’ve birded throughout the US and Canada, birding in all 50 states and 10 provinces. My state birding passion is chronicled in my blog – www.statebirding.blogspot.com Over the years I’ve participated in breeding bird atlas programs in FL, MD, and MA, and am very excited to now work on the NC Atlas program. I’m a recently retired environmental engineer where I specialized in cleaning up hazardous waste sites.
Pam Torlina
Pam Torlina. Pam Torlina works as the Southeast Stewardship Manager for Conserving Carolina, she received her B.S. in Biology from the University of South Carolina Upstate. Pam has been with Conserving Carolina (formerly Pacolet Area Conservancy) for 15 years. She has over 20 years of experience as a field biologist, naturalist, and outdoor educator. She has worked with the S.C. State Park Service, the City of Greenville Parks and Recreation-Youth Bureau, the N.Y. State Office of Parks and Recreation and Historic Preservation, and Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve, in Ontario, Canada. She has performed annual migratory and breeding bird surveys, surveys on nocturnal owls, hawks and woodpeckers, presented educational programs on birds for adults and children, conducted nest searches and nest record data in the U.S. and Canada, and she has volunteered with a licensed bird bander. She participated in data collection for the second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas, and she is excited to be a participant and regional coordinator in the North Carolina Bird Atlas!
OPEN POSITIONS IN ALL REGIONS – If you are interested in volunteering, please review RC Duties and Complete Application. Questions? Please reach out to coordinator@ncbirdatlas.org.
Past Regional Coordinators
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- Hannah Partridge, Region 6 (2022-2023)
- Terry Cirone, Region 7 (2021-2022)
- Rebekkah LaBlue, Region 9 (2021-2022)
- Heather Russell, Region 5 (2021-2022)
- Steve Schoon, Region 6 (2021-2022)
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