Mary Deinlein is an education specialist at SCBI’s Migratory Bird Center who believes that migratory birds are a powerful vehicle for connecting people of all ages with nature and motivating them to take actions to protect the environment. Deinlein’s work has focused on raising awareness of Neotropical migratory birds and problems that have led to declines in many species of these long-distance travelers. She is the manager of Bridging the Americas/Unidos por las Aves, a cross-cultural, conservation education program in which partnered elementary school classes in the U.S. and Latin America learn about the migratory birds that connect their communities and about each other. Deinlein collaborates with other Zoo staff to plan bird-themed education and outreach events, including the National Zoo’s annual celebration of World Migratory Bird Day. She is also a member of the planning team charged with transforming the Zoo’s historic Bird House into an educational celebration of birds and bird migration.