Marshes for Tomorrow, an initiative led by Audubon Mid-Atlantic, aims to conserve and restore salt marsh habitat in the face of climate-driven sea level rise. With the goal of safeguarding populations of salt marsh specialist birds, including the Saltmarsh Sparrow, Audubon and partners completed a landscape-scale restoration plan in 2025 and have begun a first on-the-ground restoration project at Maryland Ornithological Society’s Irish Grove Sanctuary in Somerset County. The project will remedy hydrological problems by excavating shallow runnels to release water from the marsh surface and reinvigorate marsh vegetation.

Dave has worked as Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon in Maryland since 2004, leading efforts to protect, manage, and monitor bird habitats across Maryland. He now leads Audubon’s coastal program in Maryland. He completed his PhD in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where his research focused on the ecology and behavior of the Brown-headed Cowbird. He taught ecology at Johns Hopkins University from 2003 to 2023.