We're excited to welcome Therese Cummiskey to Iowa Young Birders as one of the newest members of our Board of Directors! Learn more about Therese below.

Current town: Fairfield Iowa

Home Town: Currie Minnesota 

What sparked your interest in birds/nature? 

I’ve loved nature all my life and worked as a naturalist as my career for 35 years, but I truly fell in love with birding in 2012. I had seen the movie The Big Year and I thought to myself “I wonder how many birds I could see in a year?”  It was incredible!  I was hooked! Added to that was Diane Porter who mentored me and helped hone my skills! 

What is your favorite bird?

Ugh!  So many.  But I can tell you my two favorite groups of birds. first, the woodpeckers. So many awesome adaptations! And then the sparrows. I just love sparrows!  Probably because these birds were the biggest surprise to me when I started to bird. Such an incredible variety of native sparrows and so many people don’t know they exist.

What is your favorite birding/outdoor space?

Pretty much anywhere, but I am especially fond of Prairie and open pasture land. I have a couple friends I go birding with and we really enjoy birding down back roads, especially dirt roads where there’s more undisturbed habitat.

How did you first learn about Iowa Young Birders?  

I first heard about them when I was a naturalist with the Jefferson County Conservation board.

What motivated you to become an IAYB Board Member? 

Austin Roe! 

Why do you feel exposing kids to birds and nature is important?  

Being outdoors is so good for a person: emotionally, spiritually, physically.  It keeps me focused, joyful, at peace. The world is full of too much busyness, too much drama.

Also if you love something, you’ll protect it and the more you know about the outdoors and birds, the stronger your desire will be to protect it for the next generation.