Dr. Jeff Wells is the Senior Scientist for the International Boreal Conservation Campaign and Boreal Songbird Initiative, non-profit organizations working for the conservation of North America’s boreal forest. After receiving his Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in avian ecology from Cornell University, he worked for the National Audubon Society, first as Bird Conservation Director for the New York State office, then as the National Director of Bird Conservation. Dr. Wells moved from the Mohawk Valley in New York State, to Gardiner Maine, where he lives with his wife, also an avid birder, and six year old son, who is no stranger to a pair of binoculars.

Dr. Wells completed the first book on Important Bird Areas in North America in 1998 when he published Important Bird Areas in New York State, a highly acclaimed handbook to help determine highest priority bird conservation areas for use by state and federal agencies, land trusts, and others. He has authored or co-authored hundreds of scientific papers, reports, and popular articles on birds and bird conservation.He continues as a Visiting Fellow of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.