<b>Melissa Hafting</b> is an ecologist, bird guide, author, and photographer. She founded the <a href="https://www.bcyoungbirders.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BC Young Birders Program</a> in 2014, which aims to bring together youth of all races, sexual orientations, and genders to look at birds on fun excursions in the natural world. The program also helps teach youth about citizen science and the importance of birdconservation. She is also passionate about making birding more inclusive for all, especially for BIPOC birders like herself. She is an avid traveller and loves to explore the world looking for birds. Melissa is an eBird reviewer for the province of BC and sits on the board of directors of the Frontiers in Ornithology Association and Wild Bird Trust of BC. She was also a judge for the 2022 and 2023 Audubon Photography Awards, the recipient of BC Nature’s 2021 Daphne Solecki Award for contributing to nature education for children in British Columbia, a finalist for the 2021 Nature Inspiration Awards for the Canadian Museum of Nature, a lead in the 2020 CBC TV documentary, <i>Rare Bird Alert</i>, and winner of the 2024 Alan Duncan Bird Conservation Award. Her photography can be viewed on her Instagram account @bcbirdergirl (+10,000 followers). Melissa lives in Richmond, British Columbia.