OSPREYCAM
MEET OUR 2025 PRESENTERS
Meet Mark Smith, The 2025 Virginia Osprey Festival Keynote Speaker
Mark Smith is an Award-winning wildlife photographer known for capturing breathtaking moments of birds in flight, particularly the majestic Osprey. He has a massive social media following, has written bestselling books, and has a reputation as a leading voice in the field of bird photography.
His work has been featured online and in print and has inspired countless nature enthusiasts around the world.
He leads workshops globally, sharing his expertise and passion for the wild, and continues to push the boundaries of wildlife photography and videography with unparalleled skill and artistry.
Alex Pellegrini, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Ospreys on the Patuxent - Join us to learn about Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), the often-seen “fish hawk” of local rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Alex Pellegrini will discuss Osprey biology, his experiences banding Ospreys, re-introduction efforts, and how this once-imperiled bird became a conservation success story. Alex is a Naturalist for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) at Patuxent River Park in Prince George’s County, MD and a Farmland Raptor Program Coordinator for the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership.
Alex has the privilege of working with Greg Kearns, the Principal Naturalist at Patuxent River Park and an expert on the wetland ecology of the Chesapeake Bay, who has studied Ospreys for the past 40 years. Alex will share his knowledge of these birds and highlight the magnificence of these raptors.
Loren Lustig
Loren Lustig dedicated his life to conservation work as a young teenager in the early 1960s. He has worked as a wildlife biologist, park naturalist, resource manager, and environmental educator for almost 50 years. He has also taught community college classes in wildlife conservation, environmental education, and wilderness management. Concurrent to his full-time career, he also has served for about 30 years in leadership positions for both regional and national conservation organizations.
For example, he currently represents the state of Pennsylvania as a Commission on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. He also is a longtime member (and past president) of the PA Boating Advisory Board, PA Fish and Boat Commission. Loren and his wife, Louise, live on an "Aldo Leopold" type farm north of Gettysburg, PA.
They have enjoyed implementing many conservation measures on the farm and have made the farm available as an environmental education and outdoor recreation site.
Ann-Marie Jacoby
PH.D. Candidate. Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University
Presents- Dolphins of the Potomac
The Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project (pcdolphinproject.org) is a nonprofit research organization based out of Georgetown University with the mission to better understand and protect the Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.
Ann-Marie Jacoby is the associate director of the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project and a Ph.D. candidate at the Duke University Marine Lab. Her research focuses on reconstructing the historical occurrence of dolphins in Potomac River and establishing a baseline of their current occurrence in the region using an interdisciplinary approach.