Introducing Newest SAS Board Member – Halle Nienhaus
Freshwater ecologist by trade and water lover by passion, Halle completed all of her schooling in Michigan where she carried out Master’s research on the aquatic insect communities of Lake Michigan’s coastal dune wetlands. After graduate school, she found her way to Montana by taking a job with the U.S. Geological Survey – Rocky Mountain Science Center’s fisheries team from 2021 to 2023. From there, she moved into consulting where she worked as a freshwater biologist and NEPA project manager on freshwater-related projects with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and other entities. At the beginning of 2024, she accepted a new role as a project manager with Montana Freshwater Partners in Livingston, Montana, where she continues to contribute to freshwater restoration and conservation across the state.
Halle recalls her initial love for birds coalescing during a 2016 trip to Ecuador where she birdwatched in the Cloud Forest, Andes, and Amazon Rainforest. Over the years, she read through several of Jennifer Ackerman’s books including The Bird Way, The Genius of Birds, Birds by the Shore, and most recently What an Owl Knows, furthering her love and appreciation for birds. Halle also deeply recognizes the intersectionality of freshwater habitat and bird habitat, thus encouraging her involvement with the Sacajawea Audubon Society. Halle brings her varied background in technical science, consulting, grant writing, hands-on restoration, and community-focused conservation work to the SAS Board of Directors.
When it comes to the outdoors, Halle enjoys mountain running, telemark skiing, mountain biking, whitewater paddling, and fly fishing. She is also a lover of live music, community events, and spending time with friends and loved ones. As a community-focused extrovert (and outward nerd), Halle hopes to contribute to SAS’s mission of encouraging a love for birds and habitat conservation through education, events, and targeted engagement.
