Melissa Hafting is a wildlife ecologist and bird guide that has made significant sustained contributions to bird conservation, mentoring youth birders, and promoting the mental health benefits of birding in British Columbia and beyond. In 2014, Melissa founded the BC Young Birders Program, which aims to bring together diverse youth aged 12-18 in an inclusive welcoming environment teaching youth about science, biology and the importance of bird conservation, while encouraging healthy outdoor living. Further public engagement includes directorship in the youth-oriented Frontiers in Ornithology Association and the Wild Bird Trust of BC and her ongoing efforts to promote ethical birding. Melissa loves chasing rare birds and has maintained the BC Rare Bird Alert website since 2015, was a lead in the 2020 CBC Gem Documentary “Rare Bird Alert” and judged the 2022 and 2023 Audubon Photography Awards. Melissa is an eBird reviewer for BC. Melissa is passionate about making birding more inclusive. Her other initiatives include advocating successfully for municipal and a province-wide ban of SGAR rodenticides because of their toxic effects to birds of prey, and the construction and maintenance of Purple Martin and Tree Swallow nesting boxes in the Fraser River Estuary Key Biodiversity Area.  Melissa is the author of the 2024 book “Dare to Bird: Exploring the Joy and Healing Power of Birds”, published by Rocky Mountain Books.
Melissa is recipient of the Greater Vancouver 2024 Alan Duncan Bird Conservation Award and the BC Nature’s 2021 Daphne Solecki Award for contributing to nature education for children in British Columbia, and was a finalist for the 2021 Nature Inspiration Awards (Canadian Museum of Nature). Melissa is also the 2025 recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal from the Government of Canada. Melissa is on Instagram @BCBirdergirl