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ART M EE TS SCIENCE WRITTEN BY LIZ REGALIA | PHOTOS BY BRIAN PRINCIPE
To educate students about the importance of conserving shorebirds through habitat preservation, biologist and Ashley Hall alumna Katie Morrision ’13 recruited faculty and alumnae from her very own alma mater. It all started with a bird. When Katie Morrision ’13 began her master’s of biology research on shorebirds at Miami University, she was instantly fascinated by the small, but mighty, red knot. “They have one of the most unique migrations out of any bird that comes to South Carolina because they are flying 18,000 miles a year,” says Morrison, who is the Director of Education at Coastal Expeditions, a Charleston-based outdoor adventure company that offers guided tours throughout the Lowcountry. In 365 days, the red knot can travel from the tip of South America all the way to the Arctic and back, making it one of the longest-distance migrant birds in the world. But the species is disappearing. After graduating with a degree in environmental studies from Sewanee: The University of the South, Morrison spent time as a research assistant in Hawaii working with humpback whales and dolphins. She returned to Charleston in 2019 to work at the South Carolina Aquarium prior to moving into her current role at Coastal Expeditions where she oversees all their educational programs. For her master’s degree, Morrison specifically studied shorebird education and the positive impact education has on protecting coastal birds. “Red knot populations are declining and need further protection,” Morrison says. “With their incredible story, it makes for a great bird to teach our community about how to protect shorebirds.”
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