As I build my career in the field of conservation, I look closely to my mentors and supervisors to learn from them and to hopefully fill their shoes someday. If you are reading this blog, you are most likely involved in some sort of conservation efforts, be it professionally or personally. You are probably aware of how overworked conservationists are. There is so much that can be done to help our environment, but resources, such as time and funding, rarely match the need. Still, many of us are passionate enough to take on much more than we have to. 

Overall, the project I am working on this summer is a little different from what I have been focused on recently. I describe myself as a biologist/ornithologist in the making. I have a large amount of experience conducting field work and I am currently wrapping up my Master’s Degree in Wildlife Ecology. Although I have been entrenched in research and have dabbled in environmental education, I absolutely believe that both are necessary to protect the environment. It seems the Service is also aware of this and has ramped up its efforts to make nature accessible to systematically excluded communities. Individuals, such as my supervisor Nanette, also see this need and are working fervently to serve our wildlife and our communities simultaneously.  

Nanette is the Chief of the Migratory Birds and Habitat Program in the Columbia-Pacific Northwest and Pacific Islands Regions. As busy as I can only imagine she must be, her passion and understanding for creating opportunities for students to connect with nature, really speaks to me. The project she brought me on board to work on this summer is called Bird by Bird, and my main responsibility this summer is to explore ways to expand this amazing program. Yes, I have spent a majority of my time this summer sitting at my desk/kitchen table, brainstorming and interviewing current and potential new partners, thinking of how the program can transform, where we can expand to, and which communities would benefit the most from the program, and still, what a fulfilling experience it has been. 

I am so happy to be a part of this program for many reasons. As a person who grew up in an urban city, with hard working parents, and very limited resources, accessing green spaces was not easy. Although I was not a bird watcher growing up, I remember finding peace in the the mourning doves, cardinals, and robins in my neighborhood. One of the goals of Bird by Bird is to make nature accessible to students in their own communities. It may be a struggle to access natural places for various reasons, but nature is all around us, and even so, it may still not be “accessible”. Classrooms that partake in Bird by Bird are visited by a facilitator once a month and teach students how to use binoculars, look for birds, and identify different species. At the end of the academic school year the students are taken out to a couple of field trips where they can put their new bird watching skills to the test. Clearly this program is a benefit for students partaking in it, but in the long run it is beneficial for us all as we are molding young conservationists who will help us protect the environment, which in turn protects us all. 

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service - DFP

Location: Portland Regional Office