08/23/2026
Please join us in welcoming Ben Barkley as our new Program Director at Scherman Hoffman! 🦅🌿
For Ben, this role is a full-circle moment. Born and raised in Basking Ridge, his love of nature took flight on a 2007 trip to Costa Rica, when a trogon perched right over the trail caught his eye — and he was hooked for life. Ben started birding every chance he got, eventually finding his way to Scherman Hoffman, where a conversation with then-Director Mike Anderson led him to join a team of teens competing in the World Series of Birding the very next day. From there, Ben became a familiar face at the sanctuary — conducting hawk watches, migration surveys, and helping summer campers keep their weekly bird lists.
That early confidence carried him to Cornell University, where he worked with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on projects like All About Birds, Merlin, and eBird, studied White-shouldered Fairywrens in Papua New Guinea, guided in Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains, and — bringing things full circle — won the World Series of Birding as a member of the Cornell Redheads. 🏆
After realizing his true passion was education, Ben returned home to spend 10 years as a Naturalist at the Environmental Education Center at Lord Stirling Park, leading bird walks, running summer camps, and giving lectures. He's since traveled to every continent and swum in every ocean — but always finds his way back to Somerset County.
Becoming Program Director at Scherman Hoffman, the very place that turned him into a birder, is a dream come true for Ben. He hopes to offer others the same warmth and encouragement he once received here, and his goal is simple: build a welcoming community of people who love nature and want to share that joy.
Stop by and say hello to Ben — he's always up for a conversation about birds, SCUBA diving, moth diversity, world travel, or whatever's on your mind that day! 🐦🌎
