Ella Sorensen & Max Malmquist

Ella Sorensen is the Gillmor Sanctuary manager. She has worked on land and water acquisition, planning, and restoration for Gillmor Sanctuary on Great Salt Lake since 1992. She has a degree in chemistry and medical laboratory science from University of Utah. With her scientific expertise, Ella has consulted on major wetland projects, leads bird tours, and serves on the Conservation Committee at Tracy Aviary. As a long-time bird enthusiast, she has taught bird identification and ecology at Utah Museum of Natural Science, co-authored A Revised Checklist of Utah Birds, and founded and chaired the Utah Rare Birds Committee for ten years. Ella is also a prolific writer and her articles have appeared in Bird Watcher’s Digest, Birding, and Audubon, as well as numerous local publications. For fifteen years she authored an award-winning monthly bird feature in Salt Lake Tribune. When she’s not studying or conserving birds, she enjoys international travel and spending time with her family.

Max is Audubon's Saline Lakes Outreach Associate. He has a diverse background in community relations, project management, negotiations, and environmental monitoring for Audubon. His experience as a biologist includes conducting a wide variety of bird surveys and submitting data to state agencies as well as the US Fish and Wildlife Service. These ranged from Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo surveys to raptor nest and Greater Sage Grouse lek surveys. From 2014 to 2018, Max managed a 2,200-acre property in rural Wisconsin for Rio Tinto where he performed environmental monitoring, permit compliance work, and oversaw invasive species management, biodiversity studies, and habitat restoration projects. This work required regular coordination with state resource agencies, local governments, wildlife and conservation groups, and other stakeholders. He also worked on large-scale environmental remediation projects in Washington, Wyoming, and New Jersey.