Maeve Newton joined Go Green Wilmette in December 2025. An alum of Regina Dominican High school in Wilmette, Maeve recently earned her Bachelor of Arts from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. Maeve majored in Cultural and Historic Preservation and minored in Global Studies, Environmental studies, and film studies.
Maeve discovered her love and passion for biodiversity research through fall migration bird banding in Newport. Maeve spent one of her undergraduate summers living on Rose Island in Narragansett Bay, where she monitored shore bird species including American Oystercatchers, Herring Gulls, Greater Black-backed Gulls, Great Egrets, many of the island songbirds and more. She extended her field research during a second summer in Newport by participating in and leading experiential learning programs. These field research programs allowed her to become an experienced bird bander, learn how to trap lobster, drive a boat, and familiarize herself not only with bird species but also with a variety of marine life found in the waters surrounding Newport.
Maeve spent this past fall 2025 working as an AmeriCorps member for the Wisconsin Conservation Corps, where she built trails and helped to sustain natural areas with organizations like the North Country Trail Association and The Ice Age Trail Alliance. Back at home in Chicago, Maeve returned to her alma mater, Regina Dominican, to coach tennis and basketball, and will begin a new job at Peggy Notebaert Museum in June.
With Go Green Wilmette, Maeve created educational literature about bird migration, light pollution, and the common bird species you can see at Gillson Park. Maeve also worked closely with students at Regina in the Green Paws club, who are leading an initiative to implement composting in the cafeteria!
Maeve intends to further her studies in natural resources through graduate school in the coming years, and she would like to continue working in environmental education. GGW has helped her create a portfolio of skills and original work that she hopes to continue sharing with the Chicagoland area.
