A Wild Afternoon with “Raised to Be Wild” & Piping Plover Adventures with Sarah Saunders, Quantitative Ecologist, Audubon Great Lakes

Join us for a fun, family-focused afternoon at the Through the Eyes of the Piping Plover exhibit! Bring the whole crew and enjoy:

• A read-aloud of an excerpt from Raised to Be Wild, the inspiring true story of a Great Lakes piping plover.

• Hands-on activities and crafts where kids can create their own plover-themed art and take home a conservation keepsake.

• Mini scientist experiences that let kids step into the shoes of bird biologists—spotting camouflaged plovers, exploring migration journeys, and discovering how people are helping these endangered shorebirds.

Come explore the art, meet the birds (virtually!), and discover how reading, creativity, and nature can inspire all ages.

Sarah received her doctorate from the University of Minnesota, where she studied Great Lakes piping plovers with her advisor, Francie Cuthbert. Since high school, Sarah knew she wanted to be a conservation biologist, and in graduate school she was especially interested in working with endangered species. After studying Francie's work with plovers, she knew she found her scientific calling. Sarah spent six summers leading the field banding crew and fell in love with the work. Now, as a scientist at Audubon, she investigates a range of important questions to help conserve many bird species, but she'll always have a special place in her heart for Great Lakes piping plovers. Sarah resides in Michigan, so she continues to contribute to piping plover recovery efforts by helping to band and monitor as needed during the summer.