Meet some of the HawkWatch Crew at Commissary Ridge, WY

Cody Allen, Commissary Ridge crew lead

Cody is in his third year at Commissary Ridge. Cody has worked with many kinds of birds but hopes to build a career around raptor conservation. His advice for those coming to visit the ridge? “Bring layers and prayers, it gets mighty cold up here!”

Frankie Vierela

Frankie is a first-time hawk watcher. She has experience in wildlife rehabilitation from her role as an avian clinic technician at the Avian Conservation Center in Awendaw, South Carolina. She also has fieldwork experience studying California Spotted Owls.

Georgia Coleman

Georgia is another new addition to the Commissary Ridge team. Georgia recently graduated from the University of Washington and is excited to get started on her ornithology career. Before joining the Commissary crew, Georgia worked with Common Ravens in Yellowstone National Park and Burrowing Owls in Oregon.

James Petersen

James is a HawkWatch International veteran, returning for his 5th year counting and his third year at Commissary Ridge. James has also counted at the Corpus Christi and Grand Canyon sites.

Kirsti Carr

Kirsti is in her second season with HWI’s Goshute Mountain crew. She has also hawk watched at the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and worked as a technician on projects with Common Loons, montane songbirds, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Lesser Prairie-Chickens, and shorebirds.

Tori Thorpe, HWI field biologist

Tori started with HWI as a migration crewmember in 2017 and is now the staff field biologist, working on a wide range of research projects. Her introduction to raptor conservation began with California Spotted Owls, and her favorite raptors are Sharp-shinned Hawks. Tori holds a M.S. in Environmental Studies and a B.S. in Environmental Science.