Stella Miller
About Me

I have loved wildlife since my very first memories, and grew up splashing in the creek in the woods behind my house and talking to the animals. It was at the age of ten that I read Jack Olsen’s book “The Night of the Grizzlies”, the true account of one tragic night at Glacier National Park in 1967.  I remember reading the book, cover to cover, completely absorbed and deeply moved. The final passage in the book struck a chord in me that continues to reverberate today:

“Man and grizzly are, at core, antagonists, and with the same ingenious tools that fell the giant redwoods of California and strip the topsoil of western Pennsylvania and pollute the streams of Oregon, man will rid himself of his antagonists. The planet is man’s; he has bent it to his will and made it his to enjoy, his to develop and his to destroy. The grizzly will be exiled and then destroyed and Teasdale’s words will be remembered by a few: “What we never have, remains. It is the things we have that go”. The grizzly will not return; he will be lost forever, along with the wild frontier on which he lived his final few years as the mightiest animal of the lost American wilderness”.  

These words have been the driving force of my life ever since. I knew the moment I put the book down (and I have read it at least once a year ever since) that something had changed in me. It would never be enough to just care about wildlife. In that moment, a young conservationist was created.

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​​Despite this deeply held passion, I was an armchair conservationist. I made lots of donations, wrote letters, signed petitions and tried to spread awareness among my own circle. It was only after taking a beginners birdwatching class, where I discovered BIRDS (!), that my armchair activism morphed into boots on the ground conservation efforts (I always joke that my autobiography will be titled, “Talk Birdy to Me. How One Woman’s Life Was Changed by Birds”!).  My newfound interest in birds led me to volunteer for Huntington Audubon (as it was known then), first joining the board in 2006, and just a year later stepping into the role of president.

This role afforded me a remarkable opportunity to meet with other passionate conservationists, community and corporate partners, and of course, so many incredible  people passionate about birds, habitat and other wildlife. My greatest joy has been working with teens and young people. With our Youth Outreach Committee, I had the privilege of mentoring some very remarkable teenagers, providing guidance and nurturing their community leadership skills.

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Luckily, Jack Olsen’s prediction about grizzlies did not come to pass, but as you know, times are perilous for all wildlife, and it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that this prediction could still bear fruit during our lifetimes. Because of this, we must continue to fight. Please do not make the mistake of not doing anything at all because you believe you can only make a small effort and so it won’t matter. It does matter.  Individual actions add up to a movement, and a movement is what affects change.  I will end this with a quote from Henry Van Dyke:

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 “Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds

sang there except those that sang best.”  

Your voice may not be that of a wood thrush, but I promise you, your voice is absolutely necessary to the beauty and richness of the dawn chorus. 

My goal with Holistic Birding is simple: to help you slow down, notice more and connect in a more meaningful way with nature.  And by the way, I still talk to the animals!