Carrie Hess
Prior to co-founding Listening To Birds, and deciding that a 2015 Big Year “Our Way” was not absolutely crazy, Carrie spent 20+ years in the mortgage industry working in sales, management, and mortgage company ownership. Co-founder of Listening To Birds, LLC, Carrie established the company as a way to transition to retirement and to put her already retired husband back to work. She now functions as the CEO, CFO, CTO, CMO, and Chief Make a Plan, Make Chuck Work the Plan Officer.
Charles A. “Chuck” Hess, PhD
Prior to co-founding Listening To Birds, LLC, and deciding that a 2015 Big Year “Our Way” was something that we just had to do, Chuck worked as a Wildlife Biologist for the US Forest Service. During his 23 years, he played a key role in the development of the trans-location program for the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) and advised the Forest Service on land management issues. In that role he banded approximately 6000 RCW’s, trained almost 200 wildlife experts to band, and developed techniques to flush the stomach contents of RCW’s to study their diet.
Listening to Birds was founded to continue the work that Chuck has such a passion for; continued research and publication, and most importantly, sharing his knowledge of the amazing flora and fauna of the natural world to help inspire its preservation for generations to come.
The name of our company comes from the working title of Chuck’s future book, Listening To Birds, which addresses forest management in the south. Birds are the indicator species that tell us when forest management practices get it right. Every forest type has bird species that are dependent upon it for survival. Understanding these communities give us insight on how to manage the forest so that timber harvest and conservation of species can co-exist.
Education and Degrees:
- 1987 B.S. Florida State University (biology)
- 1997 M.S. Florida State University (biology)
- 2014 PhD.Florida State University (biology)
Links to Outside Articles:
Links to Authored and Co-Authored Publications:
- Beyer DE, Costa R, Hooper RG, Hess CA. 1996. Habitat quality and reproduction of red-cockaded woodpecker groups in Florida. Journal of Wildlife Management. 60:826-835.
- Hess CA. 1997. Stomach flushing: sampling the diet of red-cockaded woodpeckers. Wilson Bulletin. 109:535-539.
- James FC, Hess CA, Kufrin D. 1997. Species-centered environmental analysis: indirect effects of fire history on red-cockaded woodpeckers. Ecological Applications. 7:118-129.
- Hess CA, James FC. 1998. Diet of the red-cockaded woodpecker in the Apalachicola National Forest. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 62:509-517.
- Tschinkel WR, Hess CA. 1999. Arboreal ant community of a pine forest in northern Florida. Annals of Entomological Society of America. 2:63-70
- Hess CA, Kelly PP, Costa R, Carter JH III. 2001. Reconsideration of Richardson et al.’s red cockaded woodpecker nestling removal technique.Wildlife Society Bulletin. 29:372-375.
- James FC, Hess CA, Kicklighter BC, Thum RA. 2001. Ecosystem management and the niche gestalt of the red-cockaded woodpecker in longleaf pine forests. Ecological Applications. 11:854-870.
- Hess CA, 2014 RESTORATION OF LONGLEAF PINE IN SLASH PINE PLANTATIONS: USING FIRE TO AVOID THE LANDSCAPE TRAP
Unlinked Authored or Co-Authored Publications:
- Hess CA, Costa R. 1995. Augmentation from the Apalachicola National Forest: the development of a new management technique. In: Kulhavy DL, Hooper RG, Costa R, editors. Red-cockaded woodpecker: recovery, ecology and management. Nacogdoches, TX: Center for Applied Studies in Forestry, College of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University; p 385-388.
- James FC, Hess CA, Hagan G, Kotrla B. 1995. Population structure and annual turnover rates of cavities of the red-cockaded woodpecker in the Apalachicola National Forest. In: Kulhavy DL, Hooper RG, Costa R, editors. Red-cockaded woodpecker: recovery, ecology and management. Nacogdoches, TX: Center for Applied Studies in Forestry, College of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University; p. 353-360
- Hess CA. 2004. Effects of Translocation on the Apalachicola Ranger District Donor Population. In: Costa R, Daniels SJ, editors. Red-cockaded woodpecker: road to recovery. Blaine, WA: Hancock House Publishers; 552 pp.
- James FC, Richards PM, Hess CA, McCluney KE, Walters EL, Schrader MS. 2004. Sustainable forestry for the red-cockaded woodpecker ecosystem. In: Costa R, Daniels SJ, editors. Red-cockaded woodpecker: road to recovery. Blaine, WA: Hancock House Publishers; 743pp.