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(GIBBON, NEBRASKA – February 2, 2024) Today, Kristal Stoner, Executive Director of ���Ĵ�ý Great Plains, announced that Marcos Stoltzfus has been named Center Director for the Iain Nicolson ���Ĵ�ý Center at Rowe Sanctuary.  

As Center Director, Stoltzfus will manage wildlife conservation and habitat management, visitor experience, community outreach, education programs, and the Center’s full-time staff, starting in May. The Visitor’s Center is currently undergoing a $12.5 million renovation, which will nearly double its education space and have new space for events. 

"I look forward to joining the ���Ĵ�ý and the excellent conservation and programs that happen at Rowe Sanctuary,” Stoltzfus said. “I am honored to add my own contribution to pursuing the work of protecting habitats for birds and connecting humans to these important ecosystems and their species. The legacy of Rowe Sanctuary is significant, and together with the community, I am confident we will carry this good work forward for future generations."   

Prior to joining ���Ĵ�ý, Stoltzfus was the Assistant Executive Director and Director of Environmental Education Outreach at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College for more than seven years. Merry Lea has a mission to spark lifelong curiosity and appreciation for the environment through immersive, place-based learning experiences. While there, he managed a $2 million dollar annual budget, directed education programs, cultivated organizational partnerships, and guided curriculum development. In addition, he served as faculty member, instructing graduate courses in Environmental Education at Goshen College. Stoltzfus also served at the Science Museum of Minnesota, where he supervised a large team of educators and delivered education programs as the Manager of the Department of Learning and Instruction. He worked as Volunteer Executive Director at Growing Hope Farm in Minnesota, and brings professional experience from a range of organizations providing science and outdoor education.  

Stoltzfus has a lifelong passion for nonprofits and conservation. He has a B.A in Biology and Environmental Studies from Goshen College and an M.A. in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University. 

The Iain Nicolson ���Ĵ�ý Center at Rowe Sanctuary is dedicated to the conservation of Sandhill Cranes, Whooping Cranes, grassland and wetland birds, and their habitat along the Platte River. Rowe Sanctuary has long been the premier location to experience the Sandhill Crane migration. They expect more than 35,000 visitors during ‘peak season’ which usually lasts between four and six weeks in March and April. In that time an estimated one million Sandhill Cranes will stop in the Central Platte River Valley on their way to summer breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska. Crane tour reservations are open now on Rowe.���Ĵ�ý.org. 

Media Contact: Melissa Amarawardana, Melissa.Amarawardana@audubon.org, 402.999.3404