Boulder County Audubon
Teen Naturalists
The Boulder County Audubon Teen Naturalists program offers middle and high school students the opportunity to explore many facets of the natural world and its interactions. The group participates in wildlife surveys (birds, bats, butterflies, etc.), bio blitzes, nature photography workshops, and other outdoor activities.
Teen Naturalist Outings
All our events are open to middle school students, high school students, and recent graduates. Younger students may also participate but a parent must attend. Events are always free. Events are typically held on weekend days throughout the year. In December, the monthly outing is participating in the Boulder Christmas Bird Count.
Outings are open to unaccompanied students in sixth grade and up, as well as younger students accompanied by parents. New participants are welcome at any time. Click on the images below to learn more about each outing and how to sign up. If no trips are showing, please check back to see what has been scheduled.
For More Information
For more information about Boulder County Audubon Teen Naturalists, contact David Sutherland dsutherland4747@gmail.com .
What are the Teen Naturalists Doing?
Read about the recent work done by and trips taken by BCAS Teen Naturalists.
Trip Leaders
BCAS thanks the Teen Naturalist trip leaders who volunteer their time to create, organize, and lead the Teen Naturalist outings.
Megan Jones Patterson
Megan Jones Patterson has a lifelong interest in the intersections of science, outdoors, and education, often with birds being the focal point. She has a doctorate in animal behavior, researching the display behaviors of manakins in Costa Rica. Education and work have allowed Megan to enjoy birding around the globe; she loves living here in Colorado, where there is great avian diversity. Megan's current contributions to field ornithology include volunteer bird banding, raptor monitoring, and submissions to eBird. Megan has volunteered with BCAS in various capacities for nearly a decade and is on the board of Colorado Field Ornithologists.
Dave Sutherland
Dave Sutherland is an award-winning interpretive naturalist, recently retired from the City of Boulder’s Open Space program. He has a Bachelor’s in biology from Pomona College, and a Master’s in nature interpretation from the University of Idaho. Besides nearly 30 years of work in the Boulder area, Dave has led outdoor education programs in California, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. Dave is a self-professed natural science geek who uses games and activities to inspire others with his love of nature. He has been training for his job since the age of 4, when he began collecting rocks and butterflies and drawing his own bird books with crayons.
Teen Naturalists Share Their Knowledge
An article in Nature Notes with Eva highlights our fascination with nesting owls while pointing out the need to give them space. Photo by Eva Getman.
We encourage our teen naturalists to be active community members and to share their knowledge in different ways.
Check out Eva Getman’s blog, Nature Notes with Eva, for recaps of Teen Naturalist trips as well as other encounters with nature (blog ended February 2020).
One of our teen naturalists, Jasey Chander, regularly publishes species studies that combine art and science and provide fascinating insights into species that occur in Boulder County and beyond. Read all the editions of Jasey’s Bird House on Jasey’s website.
View a selection of the Teen Naturalist photos and artwork shown at the May 2018 program: Natural Selections 2017-18.
Where are Teen Naturalists Now?
Are you a former Boulder County Audubon Teen Naturalist? Share what you are up to now!
Contact us to get your information added to this page.
2022: Johanna Beam’s proposal to the American Ornithological Society to split the Eastern Meadowlark into two species is accepted. This proposal was based on research on which Johanna was a lead author and shows that the Chihuahuan Meadowlark is genetically distinct to the Eastern Meadowlark.
2019: Joel Such, cofounder of the Teen Naturalist program, spent five months in Central America after graduating from high school last year, mostly helping out with bird banding and other birds conservation projects. Joel has been able to work professionally as a wildlife technician since graduating from high school, and he just landed a three-month volunteer position banding birds in three different locations in Costa Rica this fall and early winter. He plans to start college next fall. Joel shared his experiences with the BCAS membership during the May 2017 program.
2017: Johanna Beam mentions the importance of the BCAS Teen Naturalists and the attendance at young birder camps in her appearance on the American Birding Podcast: Young Birders 2017.