Join us for a special evening with Victoria O’Neill, Audubon CT/NY’s Director of Coastal Resilience, and Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe, Audubon CT’s Director of Bird Conservation, as they discuss how climate change impacts our coasts and present Audubon’s work to restore critical coastal habitat for birds and people in NY and CT. Presentations will also highlight work on coastal resiliency policy and discuss ways residents in coastal communities, like Greenwich, can improve habitat and prepare for the impacts of climate change. Following the presentations, Greenwich Audubon Center Director, Rochelle Thomas, will moderate.

Potluck food and hors d'oeures will be provided by Happiness Is Back Country Market along with organic wine from The Study Fine Wines! Bringing a dish to share is 100% optional but if you do, please make sure you include a notecard listing ingredients. Bite size sharables are preferred as the Center has limited capacity to provide serving and eating utensils.

6:00 -6:30pm: Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in our Learning Center area 6:30-7:30pm: Presentation and panel in Kiernan Hall.

This event is FREE but RSVPs Required to Determine Capacity HERE.

Speaker Bios:

Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe

Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe is the Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon Connecticut, the state office of the National Audubon Society.  In this position she oversees Audubon’s coastal stewardship and resilience efforts in CT. Corrie leads the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, which assists the CT DEEP Wildlife Division with the management of the Piping Plover and other beach-nesting birds.  She also assists with administration of the WildLife Guards and Salt Marsh Stewards programs which educates, mentors, and employs Bridgeport, West Haven, and Stratford high school students as coastal bird stewards. Corrie also oversaw a salt marsh restoration project at the Great Meadows Marsh, a unit of the Stewart B. McKinney NWR, and is working with partners to assess threat to and design a resilience project to protect marshes at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

Corrie completed her master’s degree at Connecticut College.  She has conducted field work involving birds in Belize, the Bahamas, Nova Scotia, CA and CT; gained significant experience as an educator while employed at The Children’s Museum; and enjoys flying airplanes and playing mandolin. 

Victoria O'Neill

Victoria O’Neill started her position as the Director of Coastal Resilience for Audubon CT/NY in November 2023. In this new role, she will work with coastal communities to tackle sea level rise through habitat restoration, land protection, and the installation of nature-based solutions. Vicky will support on-the-ground habitat work, build partnerships and develop coalitions focused on coastal resiliency, and advocate at the State and National level for coastal policies and public funding.

Vicky completed her Bachelor’s degree from SUNY Geneseo and her Master’s degree at The College of William of Mary, conducting her research on diamondback terrapin in the Chesapeake Bay. Vicky is a native New Yorker and has been working in the fields of habitat restoration, land conservation, and environmental education and outreach in the Connecticut and New York area for over 16 years. Most recently, Vicky was the Long Island Sound Study Habitat Restoration & Stewardship Coordinator at the New York State DEC/NEIWPCC, working with Connecticut and New York partners around the Sound to restore and protect coastal habitat and wildlife. 

American Oystercatchers. Photo: Deirdre Corcoran Foote.

Greenwich Audubon Center is a vibrant nature education center located at the main 285-acre Audubon sanctuary in Greenwich. We are a part of the Audubon Connecticut state office of the National Audubon Society and Atlantic Flyway, and steward a total of seven sanctuaries in the Greenwich area. Our mission is to protect birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Visitors are welcome to enjoy our miles of trails, nature programs, education resources, conservation-themed events, and nature store throughout the year.

We support a diverse and inclusive environment, and welcome individuals of all races, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, ethnicities, and perspectives. We work with families to modify programs for accessibility where possible.

Learn more about Accessibility at Greenwich Audubon Center

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