Joe Kaplan has had a passion for natural history since childhood. He has worked and traveled extensively throughout the Americas, the Pacific, Australasia, and the Southern Oceans gaining a broad understanding of biology and conservation that he enjoys sharing and experiencing with others.
Joe is a director of Common Coast Research & Conservation, a non-profit based in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that specializes in migratory bird study and conservation. An avid yard birder, Joe advocates for lawn-to-prairie conversions and other native plant enhancements to benefit migratory birds. His UP-yard list includes gems such as Gyrfalcon, Anhinga, White-winged Dove, Crested Caracara, and Long-tailed Jaeger.
As a former director of the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, Joe was instrumental in securing an extension of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge at the Point and still partners with Michigan Audubon to protect this revered migration site. He is also responsible for establishing and stabilizing the 93-arce Manitou Island Light Station Preserve (Whitefish Point's sister light) through the Keweenaw Land Trust. Joe lives in Escanaba, Michigan with his wife Chris and their two dogs that are far more interested in small mammals than birds (thankfully).
