127th Annual Meeting Highlights

Rumford Resident Pam Goulet Receives the Audubon 2024 Educator of the Year Award

Pam Goulet of Rumford, RI, has received the Audubon Society of Rhode Island 2024 Educator of the Year Award. Audubon recognized Goulet at the Society’s 127th Annual Meeting held on October 20, 2024, at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol, RI.

Goulet was honored for her 20-year position as an Audubon per diem educator. Whether along the shore or in the field, she brought a love of learning to her students and fostered curiosity of the natural world. From preschool classes at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium to engaging area high school students with hands-on science, she shared her love of nature with enthusiasm, humor and joy.

For over thirty years, Goulet was an elementary school teacher in the Lincoln Public Schools. Most of those years were spent in second grade, where outdoor learning and nature exploration were a vital part of her curriculum. Children went outside to read, write and observe life in the schoolyard. Goulet’s involvement with Audubon also goes back many years. Long before the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium was built in Bristol, Goulet volunteered as an educator at the Audubon Caratunk Wildlife Refuge in Seekonk. Her years of experience in the classroom and in outdoor learning environments provided a rich background in education, and she was an exceptional educator for Audubon.

Audubon applauds Goulet for her dedication to environmental education and her service as a beloved educator, long-time member, and active volunteer with the organization.

Photo caption: From left, Audubon Senior Director of Education Lauren Parmelee, Educator of the Year Pam Goulet, and Audubon Executive Director Jeffrey Hall.

Cranston Resident Lindsay Dulude Named Audubon 2024 Volunteer of the Year

Cranston resident Lindsay Dulude was honored as the 2024 Volunteer of the Year by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island at the Society’s Annual Meeting held on October 20, 2024, at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol, RI.  Audubon recognized Dulude for her dedication as a long-time volunteer at the Stormwater Innovation Center in Roger Williams Park, Providence.  

As a community science volunteer for the past four years, Dulude has monitored water quality and temperatures in lakes within Roger Williams Park. This sampling supports research efforts to better understand water quality in these bodies of water. Dulude is also an enthusiastic volunteer in the Rain Snap program, where volunteers monitor stormwater and green infrastructure performance in their communities during rain events - often enduring challenging weather conditions.

With a background in environmental science, her advocacy has also extended to the broader community, as she has participated in media interviews to raise awareness about stormwater management and the importance of improving water quality for birds, wildlife and all Rhode Islanders.

Volunteers form the backbone of Audubon, and the organization applauds Dulude’s dedication to the Stormwater Innovation Center and to Audubon’s mission of protecting Rhode Island’s vital natural resources.

Photo from left: Stormwater Innovation Center Director Ryan Kopp, Audubon Volunteer of the Year Lindsay Dulude, and Audubon Executive Director Jeffrey Hall (right).

Rhode Island Representative Megan L. Cotter was honored with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island 2024 Legislative Leadership Award at the Society’s 127th Annual Meeting on October 20, 2024, in Bristol, RI.  Audubon recognized Representative Cotter and RI Senator Louis DiPalma for their dedication to Rhode Island’s environment and the protection of birds, wildlife, and the people of Rhode Island.

Representative Cotter (D) was elected on November 8, 2022, to represent District 39 in Exeter, Hopkinton, and Richmond. She is an exceptional legislator who cares about conservation issues and prioritizes them in her policymaking. She was the driving force behind the effort in the Rhode Island House of Representatives to restore $13 million back into the Green Bond for land and farm conservation and management. When searching for a collaborator for this funding, Audubon and her colleagues felt she was the obvious choice due to her leadership in the house.

Her strong advocacy and hand-in-hand collaboration with advocates helped the push for funding to exceed expectations.

“Representative Cotter’s leadership in the legislature was fundamental to securing an additional $13 million into the Green Bond for land and farm conservation and management,” said Jeffrey Hall, executive director of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. “As one of the state’s only mechanisms for protecting bird and wildlife habitats, we are truly grateful for this partnership.”  Due to these efforts, Audubon now proudly encourages Rhode Islanders to vote Yes on 4 in November to support the Green Bond and applauds Representative Cotter for her dedication and support of critical environmental legislation.

Photo Caption: From left: Audubon Director of Advocacy Phoenix Wheeler, Legislative Leadership Awardee Rhode Island Representative Megan Cotter, with Audubon Executive Director Jeffrey Hall.

Rhode Island Senator Louis DiPalma Receives Audubon 2024 Legislative Leadership Award

Rhode Island Senator Louis DiPalma was honored with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island 2024 Legislative Leadership Award at the Society’s 127th Annual Meeting on October 20, 2024, in Bristol, RI.  Audubon recognized Senator DiPalma and RI Representative Megan Cotter for their dedication to Rhode Island’s environment and the protection of birds, wildlife, and the people of Rhode Island.

Senator DiPalma (D) represents District 12 in Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, and Tiverton. He is an exceptional legislator who cares about conservation issues and prioritizes them in his policymaking.

Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator DiPalma was the senate’s lead sponsor on the bill that successfully restored $13 million to the Green Bond for vital funding that supports land conservation and protects bird and wildlife habitats in Rhode Island. He coordinated with colleagues across the Senate to back this vital environmental funding. “Senator DiPalma’s leadership was fundamental to securing an additional $13 million into the Green Bond for land and farm conservation and management,” said Jeffrey Hall, executive director of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. “As one of the state’s only mechanisms for protecting bird and wildlife habitats, we are truly grateful for his efforts.”  With the passing of this bill, Audubon now proudly encourages Rhode Islanders to vote Yes on 4 in November to support the Green Bond.

Audubon Society of Rhode Island is proud to honor Senator DiPalma with the 2024 Legislative Leadership Award.

Photo Caption: From left: Audubon Director of Advocacy Phoenix Wheeler, Legislative Leadership Awardee Rhode Island Senator Louis DiPalma with Audubon Executive Director Jeffrey Hall.

North Kingstown resident Meg Kerr was named to the board of directors of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island on October 20, 2024, at the annual meeting of the Society which was held at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol, RI. Kerr has enjoyed a distinguished career in Rhode Island environmental advocacy. Before retirement, she worked with organizations such as the RI Rivers Council, Narragansett Bay Estuary program, and Clean Water Action. She was a founder of the RI Green Infrastructure Coalition.

Kerr currently is a member of the Rhode Island Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) Advisory Board, serves on the North Kingstown Planning Commission, and is an advisor to the Stormwater Innovation Center in Providence. She also served for five years as Audubon’s Senior Director of Advocacy and among her long list of accomplishments is leading the climate change legislation campaign, Act on Climate, in 2014 and 2019-2021.

She earned a B.S in Aquatic Biology from Brown University and holds an M.S.P.H in Environmental Biology from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Kerr brings a strong background in environmental advocacy to the Audubon Board of Directors, along with proven communication and collaboration skills. 

Providence resident Jeff Williams was named to the board of directors of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island on October 20, 2024, at the annual meeting of the Society which was held at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol, RI. He has enjoyed a distinguished career in the financial sector, working in project administration, policy, human resources and operations. He is also a real estate investor.

Williams earned a B.S. in Economics from Cornell University, and an M.S. from the University of Oxford, England. He has lived in the UK and Norway as a Fulbright Scholar and currently serves on government and nonprofit boards including Providence’s Capital Center Commission and Blackstone Parks Conservancy. Williams will bring experience in community organizing, project management, and real estate expertise to the Audubon Board of Directors.