They grow up so fast… following the life cycle of irksome insects in First State National Historical Park

Have you ever taken a stroll in the woods, along a beach, or in a park and spotted a new animal and wondered what the curious critter was and why it was there? I do that all the time, especially when I notice often overlooked (literally) itty bitty insects. Lucky for me, I get to …

Fog Fellows Investigate Potential Monitoring Sites at Cabrillo National Monument

Hi there! My name is Brent Wilder and I’m a PhD student in the Department of Geosciences at Boise State University where I focus on quantifying changes to seasonal snowpack due to anthropogenic global warming and disturbances such as severe, high elevation wildfires in forested ecosystems. In my research, I use a combination of airborne/helicopter …

The Importance of Being Interdisciplinary

One of my favorite parts of my Scientists in Parks Fellowship was getting the chance to actually work in a practical setting on truly interdisciplinary projects. Unlike many of my fellow cohort members (who did extremely impressive work in their parks), I was not working on one project, one organism, or even in one ecosystem. …

From a head in the weeds to an eye on the conservation horizon

When we finally reached our campsite in Alaska Basin the sun had nearly dipped below the horizon, casting a blaze orange hue across the befittingly named Sunset Lake. As I sat on a rock outcropping overlooking the mirror-like water, I felt an intense flood of emotions- the bittersweet of a finished field season, the astonishment …

Wildfires, Communities, and Youth Education

One of my favorite experiences from my fellowship this summer was when I got the opportunity to actually conduct one of my lesson plans with some Youth Rangers. After doing a bit of research on local climate change impacts, I learned that one of the most substantial impacts on the island is the increasing risk …