Wednesday, October 15, 7–8:30 pm at Rowe Woods

Join Trish O’Kane, author of Birding to Change the World: A Memoir, and Connie O’Connor, Director of Applied Learning at Cincinnati Nature Center, as they discuss the importance of connecting with others to protect what we love.

O’Kane’s book is a memoir which intertwines birding with community collective action as she describes how a group of diverse nature enthusiasts successfully protected a park slated for development in a lower-income neighborhood. Her story is one of strangers becoming friends while engaging at a civic level for a shared conservation goal.

O’Kane and O’Connor will consider lessons learned from this experience and invite the audience to explore ideas for building more trust and goodwill within their own communities. Join us for an empowering and inspiring evening and learn why Cincinnati Nature Center promotes Conservation Civics, a relationship-based approach to protect our environment and conserve our natural resources.

‍Trish O’Kane, author of Birding to Change the World: A Memoir

Trish O’Kane is a writer and senior lecturer in environmental justice at the University of Vermont, where birds double as her teaching assistants. A former human rights journalist for the New York Times, Time, and others, she turned to environmental studies after Hurricane Katrina, earning her PhD in Wisconsin and discovering a deep passion for birds. When her local birding park faced development, she helped rally neighbors to protect it—an experience she chronicles in Birding to Change the World. She lives in Burlington with her husband, their dog, and three chickens.

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Connie O'Connor, Cincinnati Nature Center Director of Applied Learning

Connie O’Connor grew up exploring the woods, fields, and ponds of central New Jersey, sparking a lifelong love of nature. For nearly 30 years at Cincinnati Nature Center, she has led innovative programs including CincyNature Preschool, the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist program, and Civic Environmentalism. She authored the center’s first land management plan, its educational philosophy Making Nature Personal, and helped design the Nature PlayScape. Connie holds degrees in environmental studies (Macalester College) and natural resources (University of Wisconsin). She now lives on 3.5 acres in Batavia, where she and her husband steward their land for wildlife.

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