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Celebrating nature every day
Earth month is every month!
The woods are open!
All are welcome at Woodcock. Hike anytime dawn to dusk.
Owl Friend
Enjoy discoveries on our 152 acre preserve.
Celebrating nature every day
Earth month is every month!
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Staff
Lenore Eggleston Herbst, Executive Director
lenore@woodcocknaturecenter.org, ext. 401
Sarah Breznen, Director of Education
sbreznen@woodcocknaturecenter.org, ext. 402
Jennifer Bradshaw, Early Childhood Manager & Animal Curator
jbradshaw@woodcocknaturecenter.org, ext. 404
Tommy McCarthy, Environmental Educator
tmccarthy@woodcocknaturecenter.org, ext. 407
Jennifer Meikle, Environmental Educator
jmeikle@woodcocknaturecenter.org, ext. 406
Kevin Andros Environmental Educator
kandros@woodcocknaturecenter.org, ext. 408
Rosie Smith, Animal Care Technician
rsmith@woodcocknaturecenter.org
Jennifer Markey, Program Coordinator
jmarkey@woodcocknaturecenter.org, ext. 403
Kelly Donahoe, Events & Community Relations Coordinator
kdonahoe@woodcocknaturecenter.org, ext. 405
Rachel Rogers, Field Trip Educator
Danielle Bottinger, Birthday Party Educator
Board of Directors
Matthew Murray, President
Roberta Barbieri, Vice President
Donna Correale, Secretary
Eric Miller, Treasurer
Padraig Brennan
Ira Noble
Laura Silver
Sarah Smith
Jennifer Soudagar
Richard Vail
Jana Hogan, Honorary Member
*contact our Board here.
Advisory Board
Michael J. Rubbo, Ph.D., Program and Science Advisor
Carol Gamez, D.V.M Veterinary Advisor
Stephen Furst, D.V.M Veterinary Advisor
Raina Schunk, D.V.M, Avian Veterinary Advisor
Jaimie Meyer, MD, MS, FACP, Health Advisor
With more than thirty years of experience managing non-for-profit organizations, Lenore is dedicated to utilizing Woodcock’s incredible team to connect the community more deeply to nature. Her passion for creatively inspiring community though wildlife and the environment stems from a childhood spent either in the woods or in the dance studio. These days, she spends her time doing everything from overseeing operations, strategic planning, programming and fundraising, to writing press releases, running major events, and advocating for the great work of the small but mighty Woodcock Nature Center.
Lenore’s previous leadership experience includes twelve years as director of marketing and development for the Westchester Philharmonic. She has also worked in fundraising and marketing for The Ballet Tech Foundation (New York City’s only tuition-free public school for dance) and the Kaufman Center, also in New York City which operates a community arts school, a K-12 public school for gifted music students, and the renowned Merkin Concert Hall. Lenore has been a guest speaker at Pace University, Manhattanville College and at NYU on the subject of marketing and public relations in the arts sector. She has also recently served as a grant application evaluator for the EPA's Environmental Education grants as well as ArtsWestchester's arts grant programs in NY and Cuyahoga Arts & Culture's grant programs in OH. Lenore holds a B.A. in Dance and Psychology from Connecticut College and an M.A. in Performing Arts Administration from NYU.
A resident of Wilton, Lenore served on the board of directors at Woodcock before becoming its executive director in 2018. When she’s not sitting in the outfield or shivering at the ice hockey rink with her husband and two sports-loving sons, she can be found snuggling her three rescue cats, playing with her guinea pigs or walking the neighborhood with her noisy coonhound, Darwin.
Sarah enjoys sharing her love of animals, art, and nature through immersive exploration of wetlands and woodlands. She teaches field trips, afterschool classes, and family programs throughout the year. During the summer she is camp director for Woodcock’s wildly popular summer camp. She works closely with the Education Team at the nature center, researching and developing new programs to inspire connection through nature. In 2023 Sarah was the recipient of two awards: the COEEA Environmental Educator of the Year Award, and the Garden Club of America's Elizabeth Abernathy Hull Award, a national award is given to individuals across the country who provide outstanding environmental education to children and inspire appreciation of the beauty and fragility of our planet.
Sarah holds a BA from SUNY Purchase where she majored in Environmental Studies with a minor in Fine Art. She has always been interested in the influence of art in environmental awareness and reconnecting to nature. Before she began her journey at Woodcock in 2009, Sarah volunteered in Croatia helping to reintroduce the endangered Eurasian Griffon vulture along the Adriatic Sea, and on the northern coast of Scotland researching bottlenose dolphins.
She lives in Norwalk and serves locally as a board member of the Norwalk River Watershed Association and participates as a member of the Hudson to Housatonic Regional Conservation Partnership on behalf of Woodcock. In her free time you will find her gardening, painting, or volunteering at Oyster Shell Park to remove invasive plants and restore native habitat.
Jennifer has been visiting the nature center since she was five years old. She would come to the center with her father to hike and look for snakes and frogs. Many years later she began helping at Woodcock as an animal care volunteer. In October of 2013 she was offered a position on the staff and could not have been happier. Jennifer wears many hats at Woodcock including teaching our wildly popular Little Forest Folk program which she created along with all the incredible preschool programming. In addition, she oversees all the resident animals and works closely with Woodcock’s birds of prey. During the summer months she serves as assistant camp director.
Jennifer is very involved with several advocacy groups including serving on the Wilton Youth Council's "Free Play Task Force", and acting as President of the CT Chapter of the Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools. In 2018, she became a certified Play-Maker whose job it is to spread the power of optimism to children who need it. Jennifer was awarded the 2019 Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Award given by the Connecticut Outdoor and Environmental Education Association. This award is a testament to her hard-work and dedication to environmental education. Jennifer lives in Ridgefield with her husband and their children Jase and Nicky.
Jennifer holds a BS in Management/Marketing from SUNY Albany. She has spent 15 years working in Human Resources for a variety of organizations on both Long Island and in Manhattan. She worked as a Human Resources Manager and was involved in onboarding employees, training, employee relations, benefits, compensation, etc.
She and her family relocated from Long Island to Wilton Connecticut 17 years ago. Since moving to Wilton, she has delved into a variety of volunteer positions within the local community including being a board member at Zion’s Hill Preschool (Fundraising Co-Chair as well as Co-chairing the board), Wilton Children’s Theater board member and school year as well as summer producer, Co-Chairing Concessions for New England Academy of Dance in addition to being Camp Registrar and Advancement Chair for Boy Scout Troop 125.
When she is not volunteering, she enjoys time with her husband and three children and all of their many activities. As a neighbor of Woodcock Nature Center, her family has spent time at the center whether at camp as younger children, or hiking the trails, playing on the playground or exploring with their scout troop. She remembers walking the trails with her young son newly into Boy Scouts at the time, doing plant/tree identification. She is excited to not only live in the neighborhood, but also to work here now too.
Tommy loves spending time at local nature preserves and thoroughly enjoys sharing the process of exploration with others! He majored in Environmental Science at Evergreen State College where his focus was freshwater ecology and geology. Since then, he has become an avid birdwatcher, spending much of his free time observing, studying, and photographing our feathered friends here in Connecticut. Leading hikes at Woodcock is one of his favorite ways to connect people with nature, and he strives to give participants of all ages an experience that will inspire them to further investigate topics and continue learning on their own. Tommy strongly believes that nature has the ability to impact peoples’ lives in a profoundly positive way, and he hopes to help others discover the same sense of wonder and appreciation that has been so important in his own life.
Before starting as a lead educator at Woodcock, Tommy assisted with after school programs such as Explorers, Earth Artists and Uncharted; and it was here that he realized his passion for teaching and facilitating fun and engaging learning experiences in nature. Tommy has also had a lifelong interest in the arts and enjoys drawing and calligraphy in addition to wildlife photography. He has had his photography shown in the Ridgefield Arts Walk, and often brings his photos on guided hikes to illustrate details of species which may be difficult to glimpse from afar.
Jennifer has had a love for the environment and the animals that live in it for as long as she can remember. She is passionate about sustainability and encourages others to become more connected to and appreciative of nature. Jennifer became involved with her local nature center in high school and dabbled with animal care and has enjoyed gaining knowledge from different people (and animals), places, and experiences.
Jennifer holds a BA from SUNY Stony Brook in Ecosystems and Human Impact. Before starting at the Woodcock Nature Center, she served two AmeriCorps terms partnered with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference in New York as an Education and Outreach Trail Steward. She believes that the outdoors is for everyone, regardless of age, how much you know, or where you come from.
Along with nature, Jennifer loves her cat, doing art, hiking, and crocheting.
Kevin’s appreciation for nature started at a young age when his grandparents took him to many national parks.These trips, exploring his Ridgefield backyard, and experiences in boy scouts gave him a passion for the environment. Since then, his main interests have become fungi and herpetology. Outside of Woodcock his hobbies include astronomy and volunteering with Jesse Lee Church to build wheelchair ramps. At home he is accompanied by a curious crested gecko named Doug and a sleepy chocolate lab named Moose.
Kevin studied at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry where he earned his B.S. in Environmental Education and Interpretation. He started at Woodcock in 2021 as a summer camp counselor and then helped with field trips and after school programs once he graduated from ESF. He is now an Educator here at WNC but he also loves making people who are terrified of snakes fall in love with them.
Rosie has had a love for animals and nature since she was a young child, which blossomed into a dedicated passion for the conservation of our planet and the wildlife that call it home. She has a particular enthusiasm for observing and understanding animal behavior, and loves the process of truly learning an animal’s language! After Rosie graduated from high school, she spent the next year living in South Africa, where she was involved in the husbandry, conservation and rehabilitation of many different native species through conservation-based entities. She then completed a zookeeping apprenticeship through a private CT based zoological center in 2019, where she especially loved caring for critically endangered species like Orangutans, Gibbons, and African Penguins!
Rosie is currently obtaining a B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation Science through Oregon State University. She holds the belief that people can keep alive the innate curiosity and fascination for nature that we all discover as children, and strive to be mindful inhabitants of our planet. She hopes to encourage younger generations to be a voice for creatures who cannot speak for themselves. Rosie has a dog, Suki and cat, Cricket, as well as three chickens and three ducks at home! In her free time, she loves to hike with Suki (who is truly her best friend), read, crochet, play the banjo, and make meaningful memories with her friends. She also loves yoga, live music and dancing!
Kelly developed a love of nature at an early age, growing up exploring the woods of western North Carolina. This passion led her to pursue a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in Environmental Studies. She has worked as a volunteer coordinator for the United Way of Franklin and Hampshire Counties where she enjoyed the excitement of event planning and the interaction with the volunteers and donors. Her time as a teacher naturalist in Doylestown Pennsylvania allowed her to combine a love of nature, the ability to inspire an appreciation of nature in others, and a role in a successful nature center. She looks forward to using this experience to plan and execute Woodcock's many exciting events!
In her free time she can be found exploring nature with her two kids, her husband, and three dogs both far and near their home in Redding. When not transporting kids to a plethora of extracurricular activities, we can be found camping, biking, or kayaking around our new home state of Connecticut!
With more than 15 years of experience as an educator and public program coordinator in Hartford museums including The Mark Twain House & Museum and the Connecticut Historical Society, educator Rachel Rogers is comfortable with everything from guiding tour groups and developing programs to planning lectures, fundraisers, and symposia featuring national figures. At Woodcock she plays a key role in running and planning field trip programs for the thousands of local school children who visit each year. Rachel has lived in Ridgefield since 2009 and discovered Woodcock Nature Center shortly after while visiting with her husband and two children. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and hiking with her family. With fond memories of digging for worms, searching for salamanders, and exploring for lady slippers, she is delighted to share that her teaching at Woodcock reminds her of many happy childhood days growing up in central Connecticut.
Danielle has been a birthday party educator at Woodcock since March 2021. Danielle started teaching middle school in 1999, and she currently works full time at Middlebrook School in Wilton as a 7th grade ELA teacher. Danielle loves animals, and has a dog, cat, guinea pig, and gecko at home. She also has two children. She refuses to pick a favorite among them.
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