Krysten Zummo

Krysten joined Audubon in June of 2023 as the Grassland Ecologist for Minnesota and the Driftless Area. Her primary focus is working with private landowners to spearhead Audubon’s flagship grassland habitat program, Audubon Conservation Ranching. Before coming to Audubon, Krysten was the Conservation Associate with Mississippi Valley Conservancy, a land trust serving 9 counties in the Driftless Area of southwest Wisconsin. There, she worked with private landowners for permanent land protection through conservation easements, provided technical assistance for habitat management, actively participated in management of the Conservancy’s public nature preserves, and coordinated the development of the Kickapoo Bird Habitat Initiative, a public-private partnership aiming to reverse the trend of declining birds in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. Before coming to the Midwest, Krysten was a Farm Bill Biologist with Pheasants Forever in eastern Colorado.

Originally from NY, Krysten received her bachelor’s degree in wildlife management from the State University of New York at Cobleskill. She later received her master’s degree in fish, wildlife, and conservation ecology from New Mexico State University where she studied the impacts of habitat and environmental factors on scaled quail populations in south central New Mexico. She has lived and worked in 7 states studying habitat management impacts on bird populations and now uses that information to assist private landowners in meeting conservation goals on their land. She is passionate about bringing more attention to conservation opportunities on private lands as a means of creating greater conservation impact for all.

Krysten lives in La Crosse, WI with her dog Bodhi, where they spend their time hiking the bluffs and boating on the Mississippi River with her partner, Thomas. She enjoys reading, gardening, & yoga, and always has her binos on hand to keep an eye on the birds.