Nancy completed training in the care and management of captive raptors at the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center. She makes good use of that training as a volunteer a volunteer at Owl Moon Raptor Center and fearless rescuer of ospreys, eagles, and other birds of prey.

Nancy has assisted in presentations for the Secret Garden and Owl Moon featuring live birds of prey to educate Maryland, Virginia and District of Columbia residents about the native raptor species populations with basic information regarding habitat, food sources and population declination, as well as information on how to preserve raptor habitats and prevent the human-caused events that injure, sicken and kill birds of prey.

Nancy also volunteers her time and expertise as a seasonal environmental educator for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC),  teaching K-12 and adults about the research, preservation and conservation of Chesapeake Bay marine wildlife, including plankton, native crabs and fish species - raising awareness of the vulnerability of these species in a bay environment where water quality, habitat and native food sources have been compromised by both human and climate change events. She has lead educational programs that feature both hands-on and lecture activities to introduce Maryland school groups to the scientific research done by SERC Principle Investigators (PI) to discover the origins of habitat decline and corresponding solutions to preserve and grow native Chesapeake Bay plankton and fish species with the goal of fulfilling Maryland public school curriculum requirement for environmental education and using age-appropriate presentation techniques for each cohort that participates in SERC environmental education programs.

Nancy McDonald