Dr. Linnea S. Hall (Executive Director and Avian Conservation Biologist)
Linnea Hall was born and raised in California. She received her B.S. in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, her M.S. in Wildland Resource Sciences from U.C. Berkeley (1992), and her Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Arizona (1996). She was an Assistant Professor of Avian Ecology and Wildlife Management from 1996-2000 at California State University Sacramento, where she taught and mentored graduate students who studied bird populations. She has directed the WFVZ since 2002, focusing on building a strong national and international museum that specializes in research, education, and conservation of wild bird species. With the help of her staff, board, volunteers, and field assistants she has developed and implemented programs for public education, avian field research, museum membership, and collections management.
Linnea grew up initially making friends more easily with animals than with people, and felt a pull to work with animals from the time she was 10 years old, helping run a family business boarding and training horses. When she learned about the professional world of bird research while in college – after studying for years to be a veterinarian – she immediately thought that perhaps she could be of more service studying wild animals than domesticated ones, and so started to study them in various internships and field jobs. These introduced her to the magic of wilderness spaces, to the joys of camping, and to the training needed to become a field biologist. As her knowledge expanded she began teaching more, and found that sharing her passion for nature and animals – especially birds and mammals – grew greatly. She has now been teaching people and researching as a professional ecologist for 30 years, and feels that helping people understand animal behavior and ecology, and conserving the places where wild animals live, are her highest aspirations.
Through expanding research and education opportunities at the WFVZ, Linnea has tried to create an environment that lets visitors, volunteers, staff, and field assistants know that the world of the sciences is for EVERYONE. The natural history sciences, in particular, need a diversity of thinking that makes ecological research and understanding stronger. We need an army of people who care about AND understand the environment, and Linnea invites you to join in this important work! The planet needs us more than ever.
