Amy is a lifelong Loudoun resident who first connected with Loudoun Wildlife more than 20 years ago by attending educational programs and monitoring bluebirds along the Crooked Run Trail. In 2019, she became a certified stream monitor and soon took on the role of Stream Monitoring Program Coordinator. Since then, she has expanded the number of benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring sites from five to 28, launched Salt Watch in 2021 in partnership with the Izaak Walton League of America (now a year-round program at 72 sites), and established a monthly chemical monitoring program in 2023 at six sites in Leesburg through…

Joe is a founding member of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, established in 1995.  He led the campaign to create the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in 1999 and in 2000 became the first President of the Friends of Banshee Reeks. Currently, when he is not volunteering with the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, he is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Between the Hills Conservancy. He was President of the Virginia Society of Ornithology and was also the President of the Board of Directors of Nature Forward (formerly the Audubon Naturalist Society). He also served on the Board of Directors…

Sheila moved out to Loudoun County in 2009 and started gardening with native plants almost immediately. She serves on the steering committee of the Plant NOVA Natives campaign and is the coordinator for Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s Native Plant Sale. Living just down the road from JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary has lured her into leading work days and citizen science surveys there. Sheila is also a Virginia Master Naturalist with the Banshee Reeks Chapter. Her children’s book, The Native Book of ABCs for Virginia, was published by LWC in 2021. Contact Sheila at sferguson@loudounwildlife.org.

Steve Allen is lead editor of the Habitat Herald, working with authors, writing book reviews, proofreading and preparing selected articles for publishing on the Loudoun Wildlife website. Prior to his retirement, he was a lawyer and editor working on several major legal treatises. When he is not working on the Habitat Herald, Steve volunteers at Franklin Park Arts Center in Purcellville, and with Loudoun Cares on their annual art auction. An avid birder, Steve leads summer bird walks and volunteers at the Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuary in Edgartown, Massachusetts. Contact Steve at hh@loudounwildlife.org.

Andrea moved to Loudoun County in 1999 and brought with her a love of gardening. It wasn’t until recently she began a more in-depth exploration of the importance of native plants to promote healthy ecosystems. Andrea is in training as the coordinator for Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s Native Plant Sale. She is also a Virginia Master Naturalist with the Banshee Reeks Chapter, where she serves as the Treasurer and a member of the Training and Outreach Committees. In her professional life, Andrea is the founder of the non-profit Embark Center for Self-Directed Education, a democratically run, consent-based community for young people…

Anne Ellis moved to Loudoun County in 2015 and immediately began looking for opportunities to get outdoors. As a Virginia Master Naturalist, she enjoys producing the training committee’s practicum for students and takes many opportunities to volunteer for various programs. As a member of Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, she is the coordinator of the Annual Butterfly Count (held on the first Saturday of August) and occasionally leads bird walks. She also volunteers at the newly-created Sweet Run State Park assisting the Interpretive Ranger with nature-related projects. Contact Anne at aellis@loudounwildlife.org.

Jenny has lived in Loudoun for over 30 years, having graduated from one of the four high schools in the county at the time. She has seen a lot of change here over the years, and her focus is helping some of our overlooked and often misunderstood wildlife: local reptiles and amphibians. After attending George Mason University with a major in Biology, Jenny began her career in the zoological field. She spent many years as a behavior specialist, working with species including elephants, rhinos, big cats and bears, Red Wolves and marine mammals.  Then she worked as a herpetologist specializing…

Gerco moved to Northern Virginia in 2006 and to Loudoun in 2009. He works as a GIS data steward for an agricultural solutions company where he focuses on the interactions between agriculture and endangered species. He has been a member of Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy since 2010 and currently is the chair of the JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary Committee. In this role, he manages the property, leads work days and conducts surveys. He combines his passion for nature and GIS in developing map-centric story maps, thematic maps and interactive maps for Loudoun Wildlife. Gerco is an avid birder and enjoys…

Patrick Lewis serves as the Young Birding Program Coordinator for Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, as well as a volunteer bird walk leader for the Birding Activities Program as a whole. He was named LWC Volunteer of the Quarter for Winter 2024. He has lived in Loudoun County since 2014 and has been an avid birder for over eight years. He also serves as Youth Engagement Committee Chair and Regional Field Trips Coordinator for the Virginia Society of Ornithology, founder and coordinator of the Algonkian Regional Park Monthly Bird Census, and Northern Virginia Coordinator and committee member for the Virginia Birding Big…

Rich consolidates the bluebird reports from 57 trail leaders in Loudoun County and creates the annual Loudoun County summary report for the Virginia Bluebird Society. He has enjoyed monitoring nest box trails in Brambleton and Willowsford. In addition to the Bluebird Program, Rich is a certified stream monitor who works with Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, the Goose Creek Association and the Willowsford Conservancy. He retired from a scientific nonprofit organization focused on medicine quality. Contact Rich at bluebird@loudounwildlife.org.