BSBO Staff
Kimberly Kaufman, Executive Director
Kimberly Kaufman is an Ohio native whose lifelong love of the outdoors grew into a passion for birds in the 1990s. She monitored nesting Bald Eagles for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and ran bluebird trails before she began banding migrant songbirds for the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO). Kim's involvement with BSBO escalated as she became the observatory's education director in 2005 and then executive director in 2009, a position she still holds. Kim played a key role in starting the highly successful Ohio Young Birders Club, a group for teenagers that has served as a model for youth programs in 13 other states, as well as The Biggest Week In American Birding, a spring event that rapidly has become one of the largest birding festivals on the continent. She is a contributing editor to Birds & Blooms magazine and coauthor of the Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of New England and Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest. In 2015, Kimberly received the American Birding Association's prestigious Chandler Robbins Award in recognition of her contributions to bird education and conservation.
Kimberly Kaufman is an Ohio native whose lifelong love of the outdoors grew into a passion for birds in the 1990s. She monitored nesting Bald Eagles for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and ran bluebird trails before she began banding migrant songbirds for the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO). Kim's involvement with BSBO escalated as she became the observatory's education director in 2005 and then executive director in 2009, a position she still holds. Kim played a key role in starting the highly successful Ohio Young Birders Club, a group for teenagers that has served as a model for youth programs in 13 other states, as well as The Biggest Week In American Birding, a spring event that rapidly has become one of the largest birding festivals on the continent. She is a contributing editor to Birds & Blooms magazine and coauthor of the Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of New England and Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest. In 2015, Kimberly received the American Birding Association's prestigious Chandler Robbins Award in recognition of her contributions to bird education and conservation.
Mark Shieldcastle, Research Director
Mark Shieldcastle has a degree in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University. He was on staff at Ohio State with the Ohio Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit before accepting a position with the Ohio Division of Wildlife where he has spent thirty-two years as a Wildlife Biologist specializing in avian research and in 2012 he retired from his position as Project Leader of Wetland Wildlife Research. Mark was a founding member of BSBO and currently serves as the Director of Research. He has conducted research on Bald Eagle, colonial waders, terns, wetland breeding birds, woodcock, shorebirds, colonial passerines, waterfowl, rails, cranes, migrating raptors, and migrating passerines. Mark co-authored the Beneficial Use Impairments for Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat portion of the Lake Erie Management Plan which is part of the Clean Water Act; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the National Shorebird Plan; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the North American Waterbird Plan; and has contributed to several of the regional plans of Partners-in-Flight. Mark has authored or co-authored a variety of papers on passerines, Bald Eagles, cormorants, and contaminant issues with birds. He developed recovery plans for the Bald Eagle, Osprey, Common Tern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Sandhill Crane in Ohio.
Mark Shieldcastle has a degree in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University. He was on staff at Ohio State with the Ohio Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit before accepting a position with the Ohio Division of Wildlife where he has spent thirty-two years as a Wildlife Biologist specializing in avian research and in 2012 he retired from his position as Project Leader of Wetland Wildlife Research. Mark was a founding member of BSBO and currently serves as the Director of Research. He has conducted research on Bald Eagle, colonial waders, terns, wetland breeding birds, woodcock, shorebirds, colonial passerines, waterfowl, rails, cranes, migrating raptors, and migrating passerines. Mark co-authored the Beneficial Use Impairments for Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat portion of the Lake Erie Management Plan which is part of the Clean Water Act; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the National Shorebird Plan; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the North American Waterbird Plan; and has contributed to several of the regional plans of Partners-in-Flight. Mark has authored or co-authored a variety of papers on passerines, Bald Eagles, cormorants, and contaminant issues with birds. He developed recovery plans for the Bald Eagle, Osprey, Common Tern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Sandhill Crane in Ohio.
Laura Guerard, Education Coordinator
Laura is an avid naturalist and birder who has worked and explored the east coast extensively while working for the National Audubon Society and the Cape May Bird Observatory, where she designed and implemented CMBO's interactive BirdCapeMay website. Laura feels fortunate to have worked in some of North America’s prime birding locations including Braddock Bay Raptor Research where she gave educational programs with rehabilitated raptors and conducted a migrating owl survey in the snowy solitude of Owl Woods on Lake Ontario. She is a Maryland native with a degree in Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Education from the University of Vermont and is certified in K-6 Elementary Education. Laura founded the Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens camp on Hog Island with Kenn Kaufman as her advisor during her tenure as the Assistant Director/Youth and Teen Camp Director. She enjoys peaceful activities such as crafting eco-conscious goods, sewing, and spending time in nature with her husband and two children.
Laura is an avid naturalist and birder who has worked and explored the east coast extensively while working for the National Audubon Society and the Cape May Bird Observatory, where she designed and implemented CMBO's interactive BirdCapeMay website. Laura feels fortunate to have worked in some of North America’s prime birding locations including Braddock Bay Raptor Research where she gave educational programs with rehabilitated raptors and conducted a migrating owl survey in the snowy solitude of Owl Woods on Lake Ontario. She is a Maryland native with a degree in Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Education from the University of Vermont and is certified in K-6 Elementary Education. Laura founded the Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens camp on Hog Island with Kenn Kaufman as her advisor during her tenure as the Assistant Director/Youth and Teen Camp Director. She enjoys peaceful activities such as crafting eco-conscious goods, sewing, and spending time in nature with her husband and two children.
Jason Guerard, Outreach Coordinator
Jason Guerard is a native Floridian who grew up exploring the woods and family farm, which became the basis for his love of the outdoors and environmental ethic. He earned a degree from Northland College in Ashland, WI, majoring in Outdoor Education/Natural History. Jason brings a diverse background of rich experiences to the Outreach Director position including research, environmental education, and retail management. He spent a number of summers working at the Audubon Camp in Maine on Hog Island, where he was instrumental in delivering ornithological programs along Maine’s mid-coast to teens, families, and adults. While working with the University of Maryland, he studied Grasshopper Sparrows on a restored grassland on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Jason has spent more hours than he can count scanning the skies atop hawkwatch platforms such as Braddock Bay in Hilton, NY and Cape May, NJ. He returned to Cape May years later to live and bird year round while working for the Cape May Bird Observatory as the Sale Manager of the Northwood Center nature store. Jason has an extensive background in bird monitoring (he is a US Army Corps of Engineers certified bird monitor), guiding/leading field trips, and brings ten years of bird banding experience. He has led a World Series of Birding team to victory (more than once), enjoys photographing nature, and loves to share his passion for birds with the community he surrounds himself with. Most of all, he enjoys spending time outside with his family.
Jason Guerard is a native Floridian who grew up exploring the woods and family farm, which became the basis for his love of the outdoors and environmental ethic. He earned a degree from Northland College in Ashland, WI, majoring in Outdoor Education/Natural History. Jason brings a diverse background of rich experiences to the Outreach Director position including research, environmental education, and retail management. He spent a number of summers working at the Audubon Camp in Maine on Hog Island, where he was instrumental in delivering ornithological programs along Maine’s mid-coast to teens, families, and adults. While working with the University of Maryland, he studied Grasshopper Sparrows on a restored grassland on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Jason has spent more hours than he can count scanning the skies atop hawkwatch platforms such as Braddock Bay in Hilton, NY and Cape May, NJ. He returned to Cape May years later to live and bird year round while working for the Cape May Bird Observatory as the Sale Manager of the Northwood Center nature store. Jason has an extensive background in bird monitoring (he is a US Army Corps of Engineers certified bird monitor), guiding/leading field trips, and brings ten years of bird banding experience. He has led a World Series of Birding team to victory (more than once), enjoys photographing nature, and loves to share his passion for birds with the community he surrounds himself with. Most of all, he enjoys spending time outside with his family.
Ashli Gorbet, Banding Projects Manager
Ashli grew up on the west side of Cleveland with a deep love for the outdoors and a passion for conservation. Ashli earned a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University and is currently finishing up a Master of Natural Resources at Utah State University. After working on Sonoran pronghorn recovery efforts in southwestern Arizona and spending time in Central Ohio studying Acadian Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, and Northern Cardinal, Ashli moved to Albuquerque and spent over a decade exploring New Mexico. Their efforts there included work on Barn Owl, Burrowing Owl, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Yellow-eyed Junco, and Varied Bunting, in addition to their groundbreaking research on Black-throated Gray Warbler breeding ecology with Rio Grande Bird Research. Ashli spent nine years working at a federal facility where they evaluated hundreds of projects annually for potential biological concerns and performed thousands of surveys to ensure compliance with federal law. Ashli spent six years serving on the board of the New Mexico Ornithological Society and comes to BSBO with over a decade of banding experience spanning projects from alpine to desert environments. Ashli’s biggest passions in life are conservation, research, and education.
Ashli grew up on the west side of Cleveland with a deep love for the outdoors and a passion for conservation. Ashli earned a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University and is currently finishing up a Master of Natural Resources at Utah State University. After working on Sonoran pronghorn recovery efforts in southwestern Arizona and spending time in Central Ohio studying Acadian Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, and Northern Cardinal, Ashli moved to Albuquerque and spent over a decade exploring New Mexico. Their efforts there included work on Barn Owl, Burrowing Owl, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Yellow-eyed Junco, and Varied Bunting, in addition to their groundbreaking research on Black-throated Gray Warbler breeding ecology with Rio Grande Bird Research. Ashli spent nine years working at a federal facility where they evaluated hundreds of projects annually for potential biological concerns and performed thousands of surveys to ensure compliance with federal law. Ashli spent six years serving on the board of the New Mexico Ornithological Society and comes to BSBO with over a decade of banding experience spanning projects from alpine to desert environments. Ashli’s biggest passions in life are conservation, research, and education.
Ryan Jacob, Staff Ornithologist
Ryan is a Toledo native who discovered his passion for birds while working as a naturalist for the state parks and during his many seasons at the BSBO Navarre Marsh banding station. With a background in philosophy and years of travel across North America, he not only has a wide knowledge of birds and the outdoors, but an understanding and appreciation for the natural world at large. Ryan works primarily on our research projects at the Navarre Marsh banding station and our MAPS station at Oak Openings. He also helps with BSBO education programs, and coordinates the Observatory's Donate the Guia program.
Ryan is a Toledo native who discovered his passion for birds while working as a naturalist for the state parks and during his many seasons at the BSBO Navarre Marsh banding station. With a background in philosophy and years of travel across North America, he not only has a wide knowledge of birds and the outdoors, but an understanding and appreciation for the natural world at large. Ryan works primarily on our research projects at the Navarre Marsh banding station and our MAPS station at Oak Openings. He also helps with BSBO education programs, and coordinates the Observatory's Donate the Guia program.
Kimberley McRitchie, Store Manager
Kimberley was born and raised in Ottawa County and brings strong ties to the local community to her position at BSBO. Her warm, friendly personality, her artistic flair, and her passion for birds and nature are sure to make a visit to our Gift Shop a memorable experience!
Kimberley was born and raised in Ottawa County and brings strong ties to the local community to her position at BSBO. Her warm, friendly personality, her artistic flair, and her passion for birds and nature are sure to make a visit to our Gift Shop a memorable experience!
Jasmine Cupp, Administrative Coordinator
Jasmine is an Ottawa County native and a nature and Great Lakes enthusiast. Traveling throughout the Great Lakes region with her family, she has gained an appreciation for the outdoors. Before coming to the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Jasmine worked for The Beacon news publication as editor and production manager for over four years. While covering the Biggest Week in American Birding as media, Jasmine fell in love with birding on the boardwalk at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Jasmine is passionate about wildlife and habitat conservation and showing people the healing power of nature.
Jasmine earned her Communications Degree, graduated with honors from Owens Community College in 2013. Dedicated to supporting the local community, she was part of the 2016 Leadership Ottawa County class, and served on the Main Street Port Clinton Board of Directors.
Jasmine is an Ottawa County native and a nature and Great Lakes enthusiast. Traveling throughout the Great Lakes region with her family, she has gained an appreciation for the outdoors. Before coming to the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Jasmine worked for The Beacon news publication as editor and production manager for over four years. While covering the Biggest Week in American Birding as media, Jasmine fell in love with birding on the boardwalk at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Jasmine is passionate about wildlife and habitat conservation and showing people the healing power of nature.
Jasmine earned her Communications Degree, graduated with honors from Owens Community College in 2013. Dedicated to supporting the local community, she was part of the 2016 Leadership Ottawa County class, and served on the Main Street Port Clinton Board of Directors.