Trans-Pecos Bird Conservation, Inc. Board Members
Trans-Pecos Bird Conservation, Inc. (TBC) is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization incorporated on January 28, 2019.
Cecilia Riley
Cecilia Riley is a proud native Texan, biologist and avid bird watcher and has spent her lifetime –both on the job and in her personal life conducting avian research and habitat conservation across the Americas. Her career included positions at UT Marine Science Institute, Texas Parks & Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, and the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. Cecilia’s educational background includes a B.S. in Biology from the University of Texas at Arlington and an MS in Zoology from the University of Arkansas. Now retired, Cecilia is President of TBC and serves as Coordinator for the Davis Mountains Hummingbird Celebration.
Madge Lindsay
Madge worked for National Audubon Society (2002-2009) retiring as V.P. State Director for Audubon Mississippi to live in Fort Davis, TX. She graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelors in Recreation, Parks & Tourism Sciences followed by an eleven-year career at Texas Parks and Wildlife as Outreach Director for Non-Game Wildlife. Her work projects included coordination of the first public document for Texas Nature Tourism, the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail (first birding trail in the U.S.) and World Birding Center in the Lower Rio Grande Valley with new birding sites and economic development for local communities. Madge organized the Great Texas Birding Classic, and co-authored Hummingbirds of Texas and the Southwest. In Fort Davis, she worked to re-launch the local Davis Mountains hummingbird festival and is currently a volunteer for Trans-Pecos Bird Conservation. Cerro Colibri, her twenty-year old bird garden, is filled with native birds and occasional rare species. It is on-tour during the semi-annual Hummingbird Celebration.
Susan Wallens
Susan Wallens moved to far west Texas (specifically, Alpine, Texas) in 2017. She has worked as a special education teacher/consultant and is now retired. Some of her favorite volunteer activities over the years have included working with dogs being trained as companions for people with special needs (Georgia) and working with a Wild Bird Rescue organization in California. Since moving to this area, she has enjoyed volunteering at the Davis Mountains Hummingbird Celebration as well as serving as Secretary on the board of TBC.
Michael Gray
Mike Gray has been an avid birder and wildlife photographer for over 35 years and has photographed many thousands of birds across the US, including efforts in New Jersey, Oklahoma, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Colorado, Maine, and California. His international photography experience includes Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, Belize, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, England, France, Norway, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Qatar, and most recently, Thailand. Retired from Chemical engineering and now living in Fort Davis, Mike serves as the TBC Treasurer and works tirelessly on our Habitat Enhancement projects.
Linda Hedges
Linda Hedges, originally from Independence, MO, has lived in Fort Davis, TX, since 1994. She holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from University of Missouri – Kansas City and a Master of Science in Biology from Sul Ross State University. Linda worked for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for over 18 years, serving first as a biologist in the Natural Resources Program and later as Regional Interpretive Specialist, a position in which she worked with 20 state parks on educational programs, literature and exhibits. A lifelong birder, Linda currently serves on the TBC board as member-at-large and supports the Hummingbird Celebration and other projects as a volunteer.