Botswana ’20

In Spring 2020, the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic marked the premature end to Ian’s RRCS experience in Botswana. After a raw and convoluted evacuation, he found himself half a world away in Minnesota, jobless, and sitting in his parent’s basement. This is not necessarily where he expected to be considering a week before he was counting herds of elephants in the Okavango Delta. Scrambling to find work during lockdown, Ian secured a seasonal position in central New York conducting wetland delineations and studying hellbender salamanders. Like many folks in conservation, he was thankful to work outside during such uncertain times. The therapy of the outdoors and interacting with ‘snot otters’ was just what he needed to process the amazing experience Round River provided, and its unexpected end.

Shortly after, Ian returned to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry for his senior year. The year was marked by weekly testing, online learning, and the occasional field experience. Upon graduation in Spring 2021, he drove across the country to Eldorado National Forest, where he worked as a field biologist conducting California Spotted Owl and Northern Goshawk surveys. His team had great success locating the owls, but a brutal fire season in the Sierra Nevada soon took effect. He was evacuated from Eldorado in August, fleeing to Sequoia National Forest to continue surveying. Shortly after, the work was again stalled with the spark of several new fires in the study area. Ian then lived in flux for the next month, working remotely and longing to reenter the field. Unfortunately, his term expired before they could return.

For the next two months Ian travelled throughout the western states, visiting 15 national parks, backpacking, kayaking, and enjoying the dirtbag lifestyle. He watched as seasons changed across variable landscapes, from Olympic National Park to Petrified Forest. Just this week, he again drove across the country to begin work with WSP Consultants in New York State, conducting avian surveys at proposed wind and solar farms, helping to reduce the impacts of sustainable energy development on threatened and endangered species.