A co-founder of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, Kent McFarland is a conservation biologist, photographer, writer and naturalist with over 20 years of experience across the Americas. Kent's writing and images have appeared widely in magazines, newspapers, and mobile field guides. He's co-host of Outdoor Radio, a monthly natural history series on Vermont Public Radio. He has coauthored many scientific journal articles and a field guide to the birds of Hispaniola. Kent received his M.S. degree in Conservation Biology from Antioch University New England in Keene, NH, where he studied the effects of roads on the bird community in a Belize rainforest with Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. He completed his undergraduate degree in environmental studies at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. He was a Peace Corps volunteer working with rural farmers in Caazapa, Paraguay from 1989-1992. It was the bright birds of Paraguay that attracted Kent to conservation biology. After a few months in the country he bought a cheap pair of binoculars and a bird guide and became a fanatic. Kent has lived in Vermont since 1994 and has been a member of the Woodstock Fire Department since 2001.