Ornithologist

Nancy Clum

Official Title: Curator, Ornithology, Bronx Zoo

 

“People who go into conservation are all about hope; they wake up in the morning knowing that there are a lot of problems in the world but believing that the work they do can and does make a difference.”

 

Throughout her life, Nancy knew she wanted to work with animals and study ecology. So when she entered high school, she took an AP biology class and spent a lot of time in the outdoors. In college, she majored and excelled in Biology, even helping out the more advanced students with their honors projects! Eventually, Nancy did her own honors project and focused on birds. When she graduated, she worked for the NYSDEC Endangered Species Unit for a year, and then went back for her master’s degree. After working for a non-profit bird organization in California, Nancy again returned to school to receive her Ph.D.

 

Nancy spent some time as the Director of Research for the Peregrine Fund, a non-profit working with birds of prey in Idaho, and then taught at DePaul University in Chicago. She decided that she preferred the non-profit world better, and coming to WCS as a curator allowed her to combine her interests in conservation and hands-on work with animals.

 

The work Nancy does is important for many reasons. The zoo helps connect people to nature and motivate them to support conservation by giving them an appreciation for animals they would not otherwise see. Breeding some bird species helps conserve their populations and helps us understand their biology and requirements. And Nancy also gets the opportunity to work on birds in the wild to determine what we need to conserve them.

 

No two days are the same, and Nancy enjoys the variety. She also loves that her job is unique, her work is so hands-on in terms of both animals and conservation, and the people she works with are very talented and dedicated. Nancy feels like she’s making a difference - and she certainly is! One piece of advice Nancy offers is to look for volunteer opportunities to get started, because doing one thing makes you more competitive for the next position, and so on and so on.

 

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