Staff Contributors

Jan
17
2012

Joe Sebastiani, a native of Kennett Square, PA is the Seasonal Programs Team Leader and the administrator of this blog. Joe has worked for the Delaware Nature Society since 1998 and has a degree in Environmental Resource Management and Wildlife Science from Penn State, plus a masters in Education from West Chester University. Joe is the e-bird Delaware data editor for Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and is the Vice President of the Delmarva Ornithological Society. His other professional jobs were with the Briar Bush Nature Center in Abington, PA and the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center in Grasonville, MD. Joe has led natural history trips to Cuba, Trinidad, Costa Rica, Nebraska, the Great Smoky Mountains, and all around the mid-Atlantic. His favorite aspects of work include leading natural history field trips for adults, the Teen Naturalist program, and of course…blogging!

Joe at the Calamus Reservoir in the Sandhills of Nebraska.

Jason Beale has been the Manager of the Delaware Nature Society’s Abbott’s Mill Nature Center in Milford, Delaware since 2006. He has also worked in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Massachusetts with various nature centers and outdoor education programs and is a graduate of Penn State University. Jason enjoys exploring Abbott’s Mill Nature Center and the Milford Millponds Nature Preserve with his wife, Magritte, daughter Sasha, and son, Cooper.

Jason catches a Red-bellied Cooter on Abbott's Pond.

John Harrod is the manager of the DuPont Environmental Education Center in Wilmington, DE. John received a master’s of science degree in Public Horticulture from the University of Delaware’s Longwood Graduate Program and a bachelor’s degree in urban and environmental horticulture from Texas A&M University. John was previously DNS’s Backyard Habitat Coordinator and helped people create and manage outdoor spaces more welcoming to wildlife. He has also worked in multiple public gardens, including the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. John enjoys writing and photography, and his work has appeared in many regional publications. He serves as president of the Friends of the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens and board member of the Delaware section of the American Water Resources Association. John enjoys hiking, canoeing, and other outdoor activities.

John goes back to Texas occasionally for a good hike.

Jim White is a native Delawarean, and has worked for the Delaware Nature Society for over 25 years, currently serving as the Associate Director for Land and Biodiversity Management. He has led natural history field trips to many areas of the East Coast, from Maine to Florida, and has also led extended trip to numerous tropical areas from Costa Rica to Peru. In addition to birds, insects, and nature photography, Jim’s primary interest is herpetology (amphibians and reptiles). He teaches herpetology at the University of Delaware and, along with his wife Amy, co-authored a 250-page field guide, Amphibians and Reptiles of Delmarva (2002: rev. 2008).

Jim holding a Common Snapping Turtle the correct way.

Derek Stoner is the Conservation Project Coordinator for the Delaware Nature Society, working for the organization since graduating from the University of Delaware in 2000 with a degree in Natural Resource Management. He coordinates the habitat management at the 860-acre Middle Run Natural Area, and created the Middle Run Birding Trail to provide enhanced wildlife viewing opportunities for the public. He co-leads the Young Waterfowlers program, introducing youngsters to the traditions of hunting and conservation. Outside of his work for the Delaware Nature Society, he leads the Delaware Dunlins Youth Birders Club through the Delmarva Ornithological Society and conducts bird surveys for local conservation organizations. Derek’s primary interests include wildlife photography, hunting and fishing, and studying animal behavior.