Nathan Senner Named Mass Audubon Chair for Ornithology
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Nathan Senner, an assistant professor in the College of Natural Sciences’s Department of Environmental Conservation, was recently named the Mass Audubon Bertrand Chair for Ornithology. This is an endowed position by Mass Audubon and will shift the focus of the Senner Lab’s research to bird conservation in Massachusetts.
Mass Audubon is the largest nature-based conservation organization in New England, “focusing on the greatest challenges facing the environment today: the loss of biodiversity, inequitable access to nature, and climate change.” Mass Audubon awards the Bertrand Chair to a distinguished leader in the field of ornithology and conservation. This prestigious position is named in honor of Gerard A. Bertrand, a renowned figure in the study of birds and environmental protection who served as president of Mass Audubon for nearly twenty years.
“Mass Audubon has a long and storied history of working to conserve the birds of Massachusetts,” said Senner. “I hope to help them continue those efforts, while forging a stronger connection with the students and scientists at UMass Amherst.”
In this role, Senner will become more involved with bird-conservation-related outreach and research around the state of Massachusetts. He will also work with the organization to promote efforts to conserve the state’s migratory birds throughout the entire year, even as they migrate to the Arctic or the most southerly extent of South America.
Importantly, the position provides funding for a graduate student at UMass whose research will help address these priorities. First up among their joint projects will be a study investigating how Massachusetts’s burgeoning offshore wind-energy industry may affect the endangered Roseate Tern.
“Together, we want to create win-win scenarios that help people and ensure that Massachusetts's birds are here for everyone to enjoy long into the future.”
Read about Senner’s appointment on the Mass Audubon website and in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, and learn more about Senner’s work with migratory birds, including those that pass through Massachusetts.