MEET MICKENZEE OKON!
Educator since September 2022
Mickenzee and her partner Adam canoeing in Waupaca (photo courtesy of Mickenzee).
My name is Mickenzee (she/her/hers) and believe it or not, I have not always been fond of birds. Growing up, I was deathly afraid of all avian species for a couple of reasons. One being that my mom is scared of birds (we’re working on it) and instilled a belief in me that they would peck my eyes out or get tangled in my hair. Another huge contributing factor was that I had a very unfortunate experience as a child with a nesting Red-Winged Blackbird while I was biking on a dead end country road. I was wearing my favorite red helmet when I felt the pecks from a very territorial male on the back of my head. I was petrified. I pedaled as fast as I could to the end of the road, but alas, had to turn around and do it all over again.
My relationship with birds has come a long way and I am proud to say I have transformed into a total bird nerd! I really believe that fear comes from the unknown and education and open-mindedness can be the best remedy.
Loving the great outdoors has been a constant in my life. I grew up in Wausau, WI and my grandfather's love of hunting and fishing rubbed off on me at a very young age. I spent most summers on the water and come autumn I was off in the woods. Although I don’t regularly hunt or fish anymore, I do still find myself drawn to the shore in the warmer months and seeking trees when the days begin to shorten.
I have loved learning forever, so it’s no surprise that I loved school while growing up and wanted to be an educator myself in some way. I was always interested in everything, but if I had to pick a favorite it was science. When I initially went to UW-Madison, I was pursuing a degree in Genetics and Genomics, but the Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society opened my eyes to the Wildlife Ecology department. Naturally, I changed majors and never looked back. It was a “Birds of Southern Wisconsin” class that really awakened my love for birds.
These days I enjoy getting cozy outside with a good book (please send any recommendations my way!), yoga, birdwatching, kayaking, and continuing my hunt to find the best latte in Madison.
Why did you want to join the team at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance?
Mickenzee fishing with her grandfather (photo courtesy of Mickenzee).
Having grown up in a relatively small town in Wisconsin, you could imagine there weren’t a lot of people who looked like me. Going into the field of Wildlife Ecology there also were not a lot of people of color and historically the field has not been so welcoming. Reclaiming outdoor spaces and showing people of all walks of life that nature is for everyone has been a huge passion of mine. Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance is totally aligned with this mission, and it has been a dream come true to join the team. I love that their accessible programming is focused on serving low income and minority student populations to bridge the gap we see in nature-based education services.
What's your favorite bird?
It is very hard to choose a favorite bird. I absolutely adore cranes, especially Whooping Cranes. While on a field trip to Necedah Wildlife Refuge it was a cold rainy day, just miserable weather, we thought we wouldn’t see anything at all. We hiked around what felt like the entire refuge before being met by two of the great white birds. At this time I couldn’t tell if my goosebumps were from the weather or from the awe of such a spectacular species.
Name your top three favorite outdoor places.
Being from Central Wisconsin, the Dells of the Eau Claire River hold a special place in my heart. The rock formations are beautiful and give me a sense of comfort. The water is often too rough to see any waterfowl or shorebirds, but there is usually tons of birdsong to be heard once you get a little further from the rushing water. All around a very serene place.
Birding at Cherokee Marsh (photo courtesy of Mickenzee).
Cherokee Marsh is another place I find myself frequenting. I find it grounding to sit on the bench that overlooks the hillside and watch the world wake up at sunrise. On the Yahara river there’s always something going on. In the warmer months I’ve spotted American Bitterns and herons, and in the cooler months I’ve seen a great diversity of ducks.
Olin-Turville Park is a favorite of mine as well. If you haven’t noticed a theme here, I love being near the water. This park is primarily wooded, so I get great practice with identifying warblers, woodpeckers, and in the evening I sometimes get to hear owls.
Share something cool you've learned since joining the team.
Most recently I learned a ton of cool stuff about monarch butterflies at a monarch tagging event at Goose Pond Sanctuary. It’s crazy to think that only the monarchs born in late summer are the ones to make the great migration! They are generations apart from the monarchs that migrated north, and yet they somehow know that it’s their mission to go down to Mexico!
Cover image: An adult Whooping Crane (photo by Arlene Koziol).
