Audrey Cooper has recently joined the Board in April and took over the Conservation Chair position, previously held by Chandler Bryant. Audrey and Chandler work in the parks profession and she was introduced to ABAS through this connection. Audrey is looking forward to serving as a board member and planning conservation work for ABAS.
Audrey is a born Hoosier, but has lived all over the country, including Michigan, Texas, and Oregon. She has called Indiana home again for nearly 10 years. She and her husband, Dallas, and their dog, Ellie, live in Westfield. In her suburban backyard, she enjoys gardening and continuously adding native plants to her yard to support birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. This year’s project includes installation of a rain garden. “It is fun and rewarding to see more birds show up in my yard every year. Living in a suburban setting, I enjoy providing quality habitat in an area that is often lacking.”
Audrey has worked for Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation since 2014 in a variety of positions, including programming, parks and natural resource management, and park planning. She finds this kind of work extremely rewarding; every day is a new challenge and opportunity to serve the community. Audrey has an undergraduate degree in Intercultural Studies. Through her work in the parks, she found interest in natural resources and completed a Masters of Natural Resources from the University of Idaho in 2022. Her coursework included sustainability, project management, GIS, restoration, and multiple ecology courses.
When she’s not working, birding, or gardening, Audrey also enjoys hiking and biking. Her favorite place in a 90-minute drive is Morgan-Monroe state forest. She and her husband often take trips across the county to hike, bike, and explore new places, the pacific northwest being a favorite. While her list of outdoor hobbies is endless, Audrey can also be found on bad weather days curled up in a chair by the window with a steaming mug of coffee, a book, and maybe a pair of binoculars.