Jake Poinsett is the Program Manager for the Trinity River Audubon Center. Before working for the National Audubon Society, he was a park ranger for Texas Parks and Wildlife, South Carolina Park Service, and the National Park Service. When he’s not birding at work, he’s birding on his days off.

Sam Kieschnick is an Urban Wildlife Biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, serving the east side of the DFW metroplex. Sam holds a Master’s Degree from Tarleton State University and has previously worked as a nature educator for the City of Mansfield, a naturalist at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge, a science interpreter with the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, a biologist with BRIT, and as an instructor at Weatherford College.

Wendy Anderson, spatial ecologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), works to analyze habitats and ecosystems across Texas. She earned her B.A in Biology and Spanish, as well as her M.Sc. in environmental sciences and MPA from Indiana University where she focused on grasslands, water resources, and bird conservation. In 2016 she was hired by TPWD as the botanist for the Landscape Ecology lab, where she surveyed plants across the state. Since then, she has worked on projects including mapping habitat for the Houston Toad, and remotely sensing open water across the state. A master naturalist herself in the Capital Area Chapter, she loves working with plants, outdoor education, and restoration.

Rachel Richter is an Urban Wildlife Biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife in DFW. She has a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Texas A&M and a master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology from Texas State. As an Urban Wildlife Biologist, she focuses on making our communities more wildlife-friendly through educational outreach and providing technical guidance.