Directors and Advisors

CVWO is a non-profit organization founded in 1994 with a mission of "protecting wildlife through field research, education and habitat conservation. 

Our multiple and diverse wildlife research projects contribute to national science databases, local educational programs, and a furthering of our insight and stewardship into our natural world.

The Observatory is committed to the study of birds and butterflies and to conservation. The area around the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, in coastal Virginia, with its varied habitat types, is globally significant for migratory birds and hosts a tremendous diversity of wildlife. More rare birds have been found here than anywhere else in Virginia. 

The Observatory was begun in 1994 as a 501(C) 3 non-profit organization, to expand on the songbird and hawk studies that were begun by volunteers in 1963 on land which later became Kiptopeke State Park, on Virginia's Eastern Shore. In addition to conducting programs at Kiptopeke and other Eastern Shore sites, we're involved in activities near Richmond, Williamsburg, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. 

We accomplish our field research through the hiring of seasonal biologists and a corps of dedicated volunteers. Our data is sent to a number of international databases for sharing and analysis. We provide educational material on the website, through printed literature and through presentations to visitors. 

We trust that individuals, schools and other organizations will find our website and our organization a valuable resource. We invite you explore the website, to visit our programs...see the calendar for more details...to ask questions through our contact page and to read our newsroom and blog for updates. 

Also, please feel free to share your thoughts on our social media pages. 

Interested in joining the wildlife conservation effort? Select the membership button! Your support is important!

Become a member, support our projects and share our work on social media!

Satellite photo of the lower Chesapeake Bay area, showing the diverse geographic features and illustrating how birds traveling down the Atlantic coast during late summer and fall migration become concentrated at a critical stopover site at the tip of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, near Kiptopeke. 

Some birds cross the 30 kilometer stretch of water to the Virginia mainland shore, while others return north to search for an alternate route. During spring migration, birds generally travel up the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. First Landing State Park, in the midst of a huge urban area, is an important spring migration site. 

Map Key:

1. Chesapeake Bay
   
2. York River
   
3. James River
   
4. Kiptopeke State Park
   
5. Eastern Shore of Virginia and Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuges
   
6. First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach
   
7. Atlantic Ocean

Satellite photo NASA Earth Observatory

Brian Taber | President

Nancy Barnhart | Vice-President

Ann Carpenter | Treasurer

Ella DiPetto | Secretary

Shirley Devan

Cheryl Jacobson

Maggie Long

Sheila Scoville

Andrew Rapp

Bill Williams

Dr. Bryan Watts | Center for Conservation Biology | The College of William and Mary | Virginia Commonwealth University 

Dan Cristol | College of William and Mary

Dennis Baker  

Earl Hodnett

Dr. Robert Ake 
Dr. Mitchell Byrd | Center for Conservation Biology | The College of William and Mary | Virginia Commonwealth University

Mark Garland

Jill Bieri | Virginia Coast Reserve of the Nature Conservancy

Lisa Reagan 

Dr. Robert Reilly | Virginia Commonwealth University 

Ruth Boettcher | Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries
Sue Rice