MAINE PUBLIC • March 19, 2024
Trish O’Kane’s new memoir “Birding to Change the World,” traces her journey to becoming an educator and creating the birding program of the same name. The 61-year-old grew up in southern California and was a journalist for 15 years. After finishing the spring semester at Loyola, O’Kane — still recovering from the emotional toll of Katrina as well as the decline of her father’s health from cancer — moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to begin working toward a Ph.D in environmental studies. “And then I discovered the birds,” O’Kane said. “And I discovered people who love the birds. “For me, this joy and the birds and the children — it's our renewable, sustainable fuel for our souls,” O’Kane said.