Judy Pollock

BIRD CONSERVATION CONSULTANT

Through her advocacy for local bird populations, Judy serves as an incredible resource and plays an important role in supporting the design work of Living Habitats. As a former high school teacher and former Director of Bird Conservation at Audubon Chicago Region, she finds joy in collaborating and organizing at the intersection of birds, plants and community. Her work has resulted in well documented increases in bird populations. Her project locations include Gillson Park, LaBagh Woods, Clark Street Beach Bird Sanctuary, Bartel Grassland and Orland Grassland and others. Judy believes that habitat restoration and landscape solutions for birds can engage citizens and landowners, both large and small, in meaningful conservation work in urban areas.

She has a particular interest in using birders’ observations to inform conservation efforts. She has coordinated the design and implementation of bird monitoring projects including the BCN Survey’s breeding and monitoring programs throughout the Chicagoland region as well as investigations of the bird life at Bobolink Meadow Land and Water Reserve which combine citizen and researcher data to measure the effects of restoration. She has also played a role in organizing the Wild Things Conference, Cook County’s #birdthepreservesprogram, and numerous stewardship groups.

Currently she serves on the boards of the Bird Conservation Network, an organization she helped to found 20 years ago, and the Chicago Audubon Society. She is a proud recipient of the 2017 American Birding Association Betty Petersen Award for Conservation and Community.