"Since my early childhood in rural Iowa, I’ve been intrigued with birds and other wildlife. I remember sitting by the window to watch the bird feeders in my backyard, especially captivated by the Northern Cardinals and American Goldfinches. My local park, Jensen Marsh, became a go-to spot to see more exotic species such as the American Avocet and Wilson’s Phalarope. These encounters no doubt triggered a desire to travel and experience more bird species. Trips to the Florida Everglades and Huachuaca mountains in Arizona has only further fueled my desire to experience other wild places and the bird species that inhabit them.

While experiencing new places and new birds is exciting, I also have come to realize that it is important to protect and restore critical habitat. Back home in Iowa, I do this by improving timber stands with brush removal and performing prairie burns on privately owned lands, Through these projects, I have helped restore migrating and nesting bird habitat for birds such as Bobolinks, Dickcissels and many warbler species that migrate through Iowa. Now, with my Bachelors of Science in Wildlife Conservation and Ecology from Iowa State University, I plan on pursuing birding research using my knowledge of radio telemetry, banding, and tracking migration patterns, as a career path. In the future, I hope to bring all of my knowledge and experience to the Rocky Mountains or southern Arizona."