Mendocino Coast Audubon Society

Joleen Ossello I grew up in Northwest Indiana surrounded by the dunes of Lake Michigan and deciduous forests. After graduating from Indiana University in Bloomington, I interned with West Virginia State Parks. I began to follow my dreams of being an Oceanographer by accepting the next internship with Richardson Bay Audubon in Tiburon, CA. My discovery of the ocean’s tidal zones and shorebirds began. I moved to inland Mendocino to raise my daughter while substitute teaching in the local school system. I re-located to the Mendocino Coast to attend the local community college and receive an A.S. in Marine Science Technology. I now run my own biological research business studying Black Oystercatchers for Audubon and work as an Interpreter for California State Parks in the Mendocino District. My passion for education and conservation keeps me soaring on the edge of land and sea.