Ann Paul began her career with Audubon Florida’s Coastal Islands Sanctuaries in June 1991. Over the years, she has contributed to the collective knowledge and protection of many of the wading bird species that rely on the Sanctuaries, including Reddish Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks, Brown Pelicans, and many others.

Ann helped start the annual monofilament cleanup of bird nesting islands in the Tampa Bay area and continues to work on entanglement issues that kill so many waterbirds each year. Ann coordinated with local Audubon chapters to start the first beach-nesting bird stewarding programs in the Tampa Bay area, has served as a key member in a number of bird conservation working groups, and has represented Audubon on many boards and committees including Hillsborough County Environmental Lands Acquisition Protection Program (ELAPP), the Agency on Bay Management, and the Florida Ornithological Society, to name a few.

Ann was called “the wading birds’ best human friend” by National Audubon Society in a 2007 issue of Audubon Adventures, and, among other distinguished awards, was named the Theodore Roosevelt Hillsborough Forever Conservation Award winner in 2018 by Hillsborough County.

We can’t thank Ann enough for her hard work and dedication and wish her the best in her retirement.