Book reading and discussion of “Raised to Be Wild: The Tale of a Great Lakes Piping Plover” by Sarah Saunders and Mary Lundeberg.

This story is inspired by “Little Cooper,” a captive-reared piping plover who lived for eight years, migrating from Michigan to Florida and back, fathering many chicks. The book takes you on a journey with another plover, “BroBob,” from his egg rescue to his adventures as a parent. The unique contributions of several Conservation Team members are also highlighted, showing how their actions make a difference in BroBob’s life.

Dr. Saunders is a quantitative ecologist at National Audubon Society and is based out of her home office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her work predominantly focuses on the Great Lakes region, where she models occupancy, abundance, and population dynamics of breeding marsh birds as well as common loons. She also works with Audubon’s Climate Watch program data to model how species’ occupancy dynamics are shifting with climate change.