Luis Ramirez joined Audubon Minnesota’s team as Director of Conservation in February 2019. His experience as ecologist, land and program manager, and scientist in the US and internationally, brings greater capacity to achieve conservation goals in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and other Midwestern states. Originally from Mexico but with a love for the Midwest, Luis will work on solidifying and expanding Audubon’s work protecting birds and their habitats.

Luis brings more than 12 years of experience implementing field conservation programs in places as diverse as the American grasslands, the Peruvian Amazon, and the Mongolian Steppes. A grassland ecologist by training and a habitat manager by passion, Luis has developed his conservation skills working with endangered species as Whooping Cranes, California Condors, and Thick-Billed Parrots by implementing ecological restoration and management plans and working with communities through education and outreach. In Luis’ own words, “No conservation initiative can be successful without communities; NGOs and government can’t do it in their own.”

On his free time Luis likes to enjoy the outdoors with his wife and dog by hiking, running, camping or taking photos. With a soft spot for cooking he will complain when the salsa is not hot enough. Hard to believe now, Luis considered birds as a little boring until graduate school, when he observed how complex, adaptable, and simply incredible they can be.

Favorite birds: Greater Roadrunner and Sandhill Crane