Help Jersey City’s
wild birds survive
and thrive.
We are a
501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to education and advocacy for wild birds in Jersey City.
Jersey City Birds aims to promote awareness, appreciation, and protection of wild birds and their habitat; to educate the community about the importance of birds to our ecosystem; and to make Jersey City better for birds and birders.
Our group was founded in April 2020, at the onset of the pandemic. Like many others, we turned to nature during that time of upheaval and uncertainty, and enjoyed getting to know the birds in our backyard and in Jersey City's parks and wild spaces. The Facebook group started as a way to share photos, get help with bird IDs, ask questions, and connect with other bird enthusiasts in Jersey City and environs. It has now grown to be a wonderful, engaged community of over 1500 members, and we are excited to be launching our website.
Through Jersey City Birds, we organize bird walks for adults and kids alike, take trips to other Hudson County parks and as far afield as Cape May, and advocate for birds and for the precious areas of habitat that make Jersey City so special. We've helped install tree swallow nest boxes in Lincoln Park and Liberty State Park, planted bird-friendly native plants and shrubs in local parks, and volunteered with youth birding groups. We've partnered with, supported, and received support from many local environmental groups, and we are proud to be a part of a network of nonprofit organizations in Hudson County who are committed to conservation and protecting the environment.
Jersey City Birds is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to education and advocacy. We seek donations so that we can keep expanding our work—providing educational materials and supplies for walks and community events, donating nest boxes and feeders to parks, schools, and other organizations, organizing art shows and creating calendars that highlight the beautiful birds around us, and doing all we can to make Jersey City better for birds and birders. A donation of any amount, however small, is a huge help.
Thank you so much for your support and generosity, and for helping Jersey City's birds. We welcome your feedback and ideas!
Leadership Team
Jersey City Birds is powered by volunteer leadership bringing together experience in conservation, advocacy, communications, education, and community engagement.
Lorraine Freeney
Lorraine Freeney founded Jersey City Birds in April 2020, growing what began as an online community of birders and nature lovers into a nonprofit focused on education, conservation, advocacy, and public engagement. She has led Jersey City Birds' expanding work across community birding, youth education, habitat restoration, collision prevention, and bird-friendly advocacy.
Lorraine owes her love of birds to her dad, who brought his binoculars and camera on every outing and taught her that, if you're paying attention, there's always a fascinating bird, tree, or insect to discover. Today, she especially relishes the opportunity to spark that same curiosity in young people through the Youth Birding Club and Greener JC's high school urban ecology internship.
Lorraine also serves on Jersey City's Environmental Commission and is co-founder and co-leader of the Hudson Chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey. She co-authored Jersey City's native plants ordinance and was selected as one of Jersey City's Women of Action in 2025. When she's not examining the flowers and birds in her backyard, she can often be found in Lincoln Park West with binoculars and camera in hand.
Founder and Executive Director
Lauren Morse
Lauren serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives, leading the “For the Birds” window-collision monitoring program. Each spring and fall, she trains and supports more than twenty volunteers, helping document collisions, rescue injured birds, and strengthen efforts to reduce bird fatalities during migration. She also played a key role in shaping the strategy and communications that secured Jersey City’s bird-friendly buildings ordinance. Building on that momentum, she's expanding Jersey City Birds' advocacy around the many threats birds face and deepening collaborations with local and national organizations.
To Lauren, every bird is a marvel. Her favorite local species is the Belted Kingfisher, though she has a special place in her heart for Mourning Doves. Their subtle coloring, splashed with dusky blue on the top of their heads and iridescent gold on the side of their necks, is spectacular. In addition to volunteering for Jersey City Birds, Lauren helps install and maintain native plant pollinator gardens. She believes Jersey City can and should be filled with plants that support both people and wildlife, turning more of the city into thriving habitat.
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Director of CommunicationsPreeti Desai
Preeti Desai serves as Director of Communications, taking the lead on communications strategy, outreach, and digital engagement to support advocacy, fundraising, volunteer participation, and community education. She played a key role in the communications strategy that helped secure Jersey City’s bird-friendly buildings ordinance. In addition to digital work, Preeti supports in-person programming, such as bird walks and community programs, and participates in collision monitoring during spring and fall.
Preeti brings more than a decade of experience in nonprofit communications and environmental storytelling to her work with Jersey City Birds. Growing up in New Jersey sparked her love of the outdoors and living in Jersey City has deepened her belief that meaningful wildlife experiences can happen anywhere. As a wildlife photographer, Preeti uses thoughtful imagery to inspire curiosity, foster a deeper appreciation for nature, and encourage conservation. Her work has been published by Audubon, The New York Times, Hemispheres, Time, and others. Whether photographing close to home or traveling to wildlife-rich places around the world, she hopes her images inspire people to look more closely at the wild lives we share our world with.
Make a donation.
We are raising funds so that we can keep expanding our work—providing educational materials and supplies for walks and community events, donating nest boxes and feeders to parks, schools, and other organizations, and doing all we can to make Jersey City better for birds and birders.