David Mizejewski has been fascinated by wild creatures for as long as he can remember. A lifelong naturalist, he spent his youth romping in the suburban woods, fields and wetlands, observing and learning about the surprising diversity of wildlife that inhabits these areas.
He holds a degree in political science with a co-major in human and natural ecology from Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. David is presently with
National Wildlife Federation, where he teaches the American public how to help wildlife and connect with nature in their own neighborhoods and beyond.
David is also a national media personality, promoting conservation awareness on television and radio. He is co-host and co-producer of
Backyard Habitat on Animal Planet, a television series that shows people how to transform their yards and gardens into thriving habitats for birds and other local wildlife. He has made numerous appearances on gardening and daily talk shows, including NBC's
Weekend Today Show,
iVillage Live, HGTV's
Gardening by the Yard and
Martha.
He has been interviewed and profiled in many local and national publications, including
Entertainment Weekly,
Out,
Sunset,
Organic Gardening and
National Wildlife magazines as well as the
Christian Science Monitor,
Washington Post and countless local newspapers. He is a regular speaker at conservation, wildlife and gardening conferences and events, both on the national and local level.
An avid writer, David is the author of
Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife, published in 2004 by Creative Homeowner and winner of the 2005 Publisher's Marketing Association Benjamin Franklin Award. He is also a contributor to
Gardening How-To magazine, published by the National Home Gardening Club.
David was awarded the Charlie Shaw Conservation Partnership Award in 2003. The award is given by National Wildlife Federation each year to one staff person who shows extraordinary contributions to the advancement of the shared mission of the Federation and its network of state affiliates. He has participated in the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, a consortium of over 170 businesses, nonprofits and government agencies dedicated to fostering awareness and conservation of pollinators, and served on its steering committee since 2004.
In 2006, David graduated from the inaugural class of the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders, an exclusive two-year leadership training, networking and mentoring program sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife and White Oak Conservation Center. He was one of 20 young conservationists to be nominated and selected for this competitive program and has gone on to mentor members of the next class.
Prior to working for National Wildlife Federation and hosting shows on Animal Planet, David worked as a naturalist at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Georgia and Long Branch Nature Center in Virginia and directed an urban forestry grant program for the National Tree Trust in Washington, D.C.
Originally from New Jersey, David now lives in Arlington, Va., with his two dogs, all sorts of birds, butterflies and other backyard wildlife.
