Monika Wieland Shields

Monika Wieland Shields is the co-founder and director of the nonprofit Orca Behavior Institute based on San Juan Island, where she conducts non-invasive behavioral and acoustic research on the orcas of the Salish Sea. She is a biologist, wildlife photographer and author, and wrote the 2019 book Endangered Orcas: The Story of the Southern Residents. She has a passion for community science and connecting people to whales, working to combine research and storytelling in education and advocacy efforts on behalf of the orcas of the Salish Sea.