Maine Audubon Director of Conservation Earns University of Maine’s Award of Professional Excellence

Dr. Sally Stockwell, above (third from left), with Maine Audubon colleagues on the summit at Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary, Elliotsville, Maine

FALMOUTH, Maine, October 23, 2008—Maine Audubon Director of Conservation Dr. Sally Stockwell of Cumberland has been awarded the University of Maine’s Award of Professional Excellence for her longtime contributions to wildlife conservation in Maine.

Through this award, the University of Maine’s Wildlife Program recognizes alumni who have made outstanding, long-term contributions to the wildlife profession. Stockwell holds a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology and a M.S. in wildlife management from the university, as well as a B.S. in biology from Evergreen State College in Washington.

“With this award we’re acknowledging those who have demonstrated professional excellence not just with one action or project but over a long time,” said James Gilbert, chair of the University of Maine’s Department of Wildlife Ecology. “Sally has contributed quite a bit to the monitoring of impacts on wildlife habitat in Maine and should be recognized for that.”

Stockwell joined Maine Audubon as a wildlife biologist in 1989 and became director of Maine Audubon’s conservation department in 1995. Her work has helped Maine Audubon become the leading organization for science-based wildlife conservation and policy in Maine. She has also served on numerous conservation-related advisory groups and coalitions, including the Northern Forest Alliance, the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and the state’s Land Acquisition Priorities Advisory Committee.

“This award is quite an honor. I’m very proud the university is recognizing the contributions I have made alongside those who have served in other nonprofit organizations, academic institutions and state and federal government.” said Stockwell. “We all play an important role in advancing wildlife conservation. And given the pressures from development and sprawl, widespread contamination from a range of environmental toxins, and stresses from global warming, it is clear our prized wildlife will continue to need all the help we can give.”

Under Stockwell’s leadership, Maine Audubon’s recent conservation achievements include:

• Co-founding the nationally recognized Beginning With Habitat program to give towns across Maine resources and tools for conserving wildlife habitat while managing growth;
• Leading development of a model road ecology program to better protect wildlife and help curb sprawl;
• Helping pass landmark legislation that protects significant habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds and vernal pools;
• Providing forest landowners and managers with a practical approach to conserving wildlife while managing their lands for timber; and
• Partnering with other groups to remove selected dams on the Penobscot River, opening up over 500 miles of historic fish and wildlife habitat while not reducing energy generation.

“Maine and Maine Audubon have benefited from Sally’s outstanding dedication to conservation in so many ways,” said Susan Cilley, Maine Audubon’s interim executive director. “She’s a great example of how the state benefits from graduates who stay in Maine.”

Stockwell grew up in Minnesota, where she developed a love of the outdoors. Combining her career with her appreciation of nature and youth, she worked for four years as an environmental educator at Yosemite National Park before coming to Maine for her graduate studies on community ecology. Before joining Maine Audubon, she worked as a naturalist at the Bell Museum of Natural History, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and Katmai National Park. She has also taught courses in wildlife management, ornithology, and conservation practices at the University of Maine, the University of Minnesota and Metropolitan State University.

MAINE AUDUBON works to conserve Maine’s wildlife and wildlife habitat by engaging people of all ages in education, conservation and action. For more than 160 years, Maine Audubon has been connecting people with nature and leading science-based conservation in major projects across the state. An independent affiliate of Audubon’s national organization, Maine Audubon has seven local chapters, 11 nature centers and sanctuaries, and 11,000

members and supporters.

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