Carol A. Cioppa, AIA & LEED AP
Board Member
Bylane Farm by Bob Rohr
Why I’m passionate about Bedford Audubon:
After many bird walks and a fantastic birding trip to the Adirondacks, I was asked to join the Board—partly because of my expertise with old and antique houses. Since then, I’ve spearheaded volunteers to raise money and secure in-kind donations for all kinds of repairs and renovations at Bylane Farm. It’s fun to find solutions that are energy- and water- efficient and use sustainable materials all while maintaining the look and feel of a historic property.
It’s especially rewarding to give back to an organization that is itself giving back to the community at large—through education, research, and being on the forefront of habitat conservation. Tait is always ahead of the pack to help landowners better support birds, butterflies, and bees in their backyards. Because if we can’t improve our own habitats, we’ll lose the beautiful birds we find so precious.
More about me:
All my life, birds and animals have been important to me. I bred and raised canaries and then a pair of white leghorn hens in my bedroom in Park Slope—my parents, especially my mother, were very tolerant. I joined the Linnaean Society when I moved to Manhattan, and spent every Saturday morning in Central Park looking at birds. And when I moved my architecture practice to Pound Ridge, I included landscape design with an emphasis on native plants to my clients.
My favorite bird is the:
The American Crow. We have a crow family that lives on my property, and they always alert me of any potential danger. Recently they were especially vocal, and seemed in great distress. I followed their calls and found one had just been hit by a car and died, and its family was trying to rouse it. Their behavior was so touching, and it was so sad that the driver could not wait just a few seconds more for the bird to fly to safety.
Ask me about:
Renovating old houses, all plants (both native and not), vegetable gardening
Contact me: