Managing the land stewardship activities on more than 2,100 acres of primarily wooded and riparian habitats is no small task. Thankfully, we have Land Manager Mike Dudek on our Sharon Audubon Center team. Mike oversees stewardship programs that include 150 Blue Bird and 20 Kestrel nest boxes, which are checked each season by Mike or a robust core of volunteers. The American Kestrel Nest Box Program (one of the first Kestrel programs of its kind in the country) is a partnership in support of Art Gingert who has an additional 60 boxes placed across the state. In 2016, 17 of the 20 Sharon Audubon Center Kestrel nest boxes produced a total of 75 fledglings. The American Kestrel was also upgraded from Threatened to Species of Special Concern largely due to the program work Mike has been doing for more than 25 years.

Mike also keeps more than 10 miles of trails, the Sharon Audubon Center, Emily Winthrop Miles Wildlife Sanctuary, Edith Leopold Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Pasquariello property looking great, open, and accessible. He supervises the Sharon Audubon Center Building Manager and is involved with a variety of maintenance projects to keep the center running and open to the public.

With a passion for wildlife and a degree from Penn State University in natural resources, Mike began working at Audubon in 1985. He possesses a broad historical perspective about our properties and has a diverse skill set equal to the task. Mike resides at Sharon Audubon Center’s Emily Winthrop Miles Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the most beautiful riparian corridors in the country. He helps to create a sense of community by engaging volunteers, which include two school groups, in some of his stewardship efforts—such as invasive plant removal.

During the quieter months of the year, Mike builds nest boxes that are offered for sale in the Sharon Audubon Center Nature Store as well as installed throughout the sanctuaries.

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