Birds as our Teachers: Avian Ambassadors for a Better Planet

Every Bird, just like us, has a unique personality, story, and set of needs and who better to dive into these fascinating stories with than Devin Jaffe- the founder of Nature's Educators! Nature's Educators is a long-time collaborator of the Denver Audubon and is the largest wildlife education outreach program in Colorado, giving an average of 1300 presentations annually all over the nation. Their mission is "to inspire individuals to understand, respect, and conserve wildlife through educational programming and experiences." And inspire they do.

After visiting their gorgeous facilities, where imprinted and non-releasable birds are given the best possible quality of life, Communications Manager Dori Edwards sits down to talk with Devin and Zelda ( the Red-fronted Macaw that spent the whole conversation on Devin's shoulder) to chat about what it's like to live a life devoted to Birds.

In this episode, Devin shares her heart, her passion, and dives into the dedication required to establish trust and build relationships across species. She gushes not only about her many companions and their one-of-a-kind traits, such as Tater Tot the American Kestrel, but about how deeply impactful Avian Ambassadors are to children, families, and communities.

Dori and Devin, too, reflect on the importance of education, personal connection, and relatability in conservation, and what we can do to be better stewards of our wild kin's wellbeing. They examine the need to rewrite narratives, to divest from the idea that humans are the pinnacle of intelligence, and to remember that making a difference for one life is a giant win for all!