Meet Lauren Benedict
Hello Amos Butler Audubon Society! My name is Lauren Benedict, and I am an Outreach Biologist Assistant for the International Crane Foundation, based in Indiana. The mission of the International Crane Foundation is to work worldwide to conserve all 15 species of cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds, and flyways on which they depend.
Thanks to support from the Amos Butler Audubon Society, I uphold the mission of the International Crane Foundation in Indiana by assisting with monitoring efforts and raising awareness and community pride for the approximately 30 endangered Whooping Cranes who spend their winters here. Throughout the winter, I monitor Whooping Cranes at Jasper Pulaski and Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Areas using radio telemetry, reading colored leg bands, and observing behaviors and habitat usage, all of which helps us to better understand wintering Whooping Cranes in Indiana.
This year I will also visit schools, libraries, birding clubs, hunting clubs, and more to provide educational programming about Indiana’s Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes. We educate on how to identify cranes, their conservation history, how biologists study them, and ways you can be a crane hero! Our educational programs are designed to provide information about Indiana’s cranes and inspire communities to care for these beloved birds.
On Wednesday mornings, I will also lead public Whooping Crane tours at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. These tours are an opportunity for all bird lovers, from first-time birders to birding experts, to join me on guided tours of the property and hopefully see some of the Whooping Cranes who spend their winters there. Please join me at the Goose Pond FWA visitor center on Wednesday mornings on January 3rd and 10th at 8am; January 17th and 24th at 9am; and February 7th, 14th, and 21st at 9am to join these tours!
Prior to working for the International Crane Foundation, I attended Liberty University to study Zoo and Wildlife Biology and graduated with my bachelor’s degree in 2022. While in college, I explored opportunities to study salamanders and band Northern Saw-Whet Owls, and I discovered my love of birds while interning at wildlife rehabilitation centers. After graduating, I worked for the US Geological Survey in Alaska to monitor Spectacled Eiders on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and Common Murres and Black-legged Kittiwakes near Homer. I then worked with the US Forest Service in Oregon to conduct Northern Spotted Owl surveys in Umpqua National Forest. As I settle into my current position at the International Crane Foundation, I am excited to build off of my past experiences and help to create communities that give a whoop about Whooping Cranes!