Carol R. Foss, PhD – The Rusty Blackbird: Elusive Denizen of Northern Wetlands

Carol Foss, Director of Conservation at Audubon Society of New Hampshire, holds a B.A. in Biology from Colby College, a M.S. in Zoology from the University of Connecticut, and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Maine.

Carol has served NH Audubon in a variety of capacities for more than 30 years, beginning her career as resident naturalist at the Paradise Point Nature Center during the summers of 1975 and 1976. She joined the headquarters staff as part-time Education Director in 1977, and soon shifted to Director of Wildlife Programs when NH Audubon partnered with the NH Fish & Game Department to develop the NH Endangered Species Program. After a serving as a consulting biologist while working towards her Ph.D. and addressing family eldercare needs, Carol returned to full-time duty as Director of Conservation in September 2007.

Carol is a New Hampshire native, and lives with her husband in the Penacook neighborhood where her ancestors settled in the 1700s. She is especially interested in bird behavior during the breeding cycle and in the influence of human activities on how birds use the landscape. Her favorite places to do field work are the Androscoggin / Magalloway watershed in northern New Hampshire and western Maine, and the Rio Tahuayo area in northeastern Peru.