Sara Stevens is a marine biologist from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a marine biology option and a minor in chemistry. After obtaining her bachelor’s Sara started her career working in the private sector at a large-scale livestock retailer. This experience allowed her the opportunity to work with over 700 different species of aquatic organisms. In 2015, Sara transitioned into the zoo world and was hired as the aquarist at Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, CO. In 2019 she was promoted to Aquatics Manager. Sara is the project lead on several research and conservation programs at Butterfly Pavilion. These projects include: rearing dragonflies in human care with a focus on the at risk Somatochlora hudsconica, overseeing the Colorado Dragonfly Monitoring Project (CDMP) a citizen science initiative to measure dragonfly populations within the Colorado Front Range, studying the impact of dune restoration on invertebrate populations in coastal Eureka, California, and collaborating with the AZA-Florida Reef Tract Rescue Project to care for imperiled coral from the Florida Reef Tract. In 2019, Sara joined the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Aquatic Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group as a steering committee member.

Sara’s Thought Leadership

Blog Posts

Crowdsourcing Science – http://bplive.wpengine.com/crowdsourcing-science/

Coral Conservation – http://bplive.wpengine.com/coralconservation/

Public Lectures

Sara has appeared to speak on topics related to aquatic invertebrate research and conservation including the following:

AZA-Florida Reef Tract Rescue Project (AZA-FRTRP) : Piscine Energetics and our AZA Coral Rescue Holders Collaborate

Media Appearances

Sara has appeared on a number of local and national news outlets promoting Butterfly Pavilion and PACE initiatives including: 9News, CBS Denver, Fox 31, and Denver 7.

Dragonfly Breeding in Colorado – http://bplive.wpengine.com/dragonfly-breeding-colorado/

Teaching Experience

Aquatics 101 – http://bplive.wpengine.com/event/aquatics-101-virtual-class-how-to-set-up-a-successful-home-aquarium/