Oh, did we mention that Linda also manages Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, which attracts 10,000 visitors annually in just four months a year?
At this point, it’s hard for us to imagine Maine Audubon without Linda and for Linda to picture her life without Maine Audubon. But if not for her childhood experiences outdoors and a newspaper listing in the 1980s, this connection might not have been made.
Childhood: “Time to Prepare the Soil”
So what created the force for nature that is Linda Woodard?
Linda’s parents fostered her love of the outdoors at an early age—a very early age.
“They took me camping when I was 2 months old,” Linda laughed, recalling many outdoor trips to Maine while growing up. But nature wasn’t just a summertime activity. Her parents brought Linda to the window to see birds at the feeder, subscribed her to Ranger Rick, and gave her the freedom to explore the woods near her home in Springfield, Massachusetts.
On whether these years were influential in developing her interest, appreciation, and care for the environment, Linda quotes Rachel Carson: “The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil.”
Linda puts those words into action as a Maine Audubon educator. But that wasn’t always her job. The first stop on her career path was as a research biologist, growing cells in a laboratory. Although she liked the job, she was behind four walls all day with her eyes pressed to a microscope, and she wanted a view a little bigger in scale.
Opportunity called when her partner, Richard “Turk” Duddy, a fellow avid birder and Maine Audubon’s 1992 Volunteer of the Year, spotted a newspaper ad for volunteers to lead nature walks for Maine Audubon at Scarborough Marsh. Linda knew she had to answer it.
“It joined my two passions—nature and talking to people,” she said.
In a short time, she changed her life. She earned her teaching certificate, left the lab, and started teaching high-school science. When a position opened up at Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, Linda says her decision to take the job was a no-brainer.
Scarborough Marsh—A Wonderful Classroom
That was 20 years ago. Since then, Linda has helped thousands of people explore and learn from the outstanding ecosystem of Scarborough Marsh.
“It’s a unique place,” Linda says about what makes the marsh such an engaging classroom. “As a teacher, I can give my students something for all the senses—rubbing algae between their fingers, hearing the wet marsh squish under their feet, seeing snowy egrets on the bank, smelling the saltwater … even tasting the cattail roots!”
No matter the audience, expert birders or families out for a casual canoe paddle, Linda says they all end up captivated and curious—especially children. “Kids want to investigate every hole and every tree,” she said. “All of the interest but none of the inhibition of adults. I love that spark.”
Arguably, Scarborough Marsh’s best asset is the wide number of birds it attracts. Maine’s largest contiguous saltmarsh is so significant for a wide number of bird species, that it’s under consideration as a global Important Bird Area—and is hands down Linda’s favorite spot to go birding.
“With the spring migration there’s something new every day,” she said of the marsh’s sparrows, herons, sandpipers, and more. “It’s like seeing old friends come back.”
“Easy A” Turns Into Lifetime Passion
Linda got her start birding in a college ornithology class she heard would be “an easy A.” Now she’s an expert birder who guides novice-to-fellow-expert birders on Maine Audubon trips. She’s also a perennial participant in Maine Audubon’s Birdathon fundraiser, which starts this year on Friday, May 16. Teams of birders across the state get pledges for each bird they can identify in a period of 24 hours.
Pledges from Linda’s seven-member team, the Mighty Marsh Muckers, will go toward repairs at Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, which is still recovering from severe damage inflicted by last spring’s Patriot’s Day storm.
Linda is keeping the Muckers’ strategy close to the vest but reveals they will be hitting annual bird “hotspots,” owling at night, and making sure they pack plenty of food. “Eating is a very important part of all this,” she laughed. “We need to keep our energy up. We don’t get a lot of sleep.”
Grinning, Linda admitted there’s healthy competition between teams (take tips from other teams with a grain of salt, this sagacious birder advises), but said the real focus is on camaradarie, fun, and contributing to wildlife conservation--an effort they all care about deeply.
National Merit Educator
Amid preparing for Birdathon and getting Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center ready to open on Memorial Day, Linda had to take a side trip on Earth Day in April.
She traveled to Faneuil Hall in Boston to receive the EPA’s Environmental Merit Award with other members of the Southern Maine Water Festival’s planning committee. For eight years, Linda has helped coordinate organizations in participating in the annual May event, which gives middle-schoolers a day of hands-on activities to teach them how to have a positive impact on water quality.
“I’m really thrilled they chose to honor this group of dedicated environmental educators,” Linda said.
Of which she is one Maine Audubon salutes. Thank goodness for that newspaper ad. |
