The Low Country

From the avian rich wetlands of the Rio Grande Valley to the magnificent fauna of the Grand Tetons to the fertile delta of the Danube, I have been lucky to experience a number of incredible ecosystems. The past three years I have worked my way from the forested near-shore island of Martha's Vineyard, to the uninhabited and sparsely vegetated barrier islands of the Eastern Shore, and now further south to the live oak and palmetto islands of South Carolina. I never set out to work on islands, but I'm definitely not complaining.

Three years ago I embarked on a little Americorps journey to sample the finest beer town in all of America. Oh, I mean I set out on a quest to work at park headquarters connecting the National Park System with the millenials it was having trouble reaching. I lived on the Parkway and had wonderful times exploring North Carolina - from mountains to islands. Two years ago I somehow worked my way into a job as a shorebird biologist on the fabulous island of Martha's Vineyard. Complete with quaint towns, gorgeous sandy beaches, and wonderful farmer's markets the Vineyard was a beautiful experience. Last year I lived in a converted dairy barn tucked away behind huge cornfields in a rural section of the Delmarva peninsula; I learned so much and feel like a really came into my own as a biologist. This year I find myself in a square white house with a screened in front porch on a large piece of conservation land. My jogs take me on a dirt road through a recently burned field, over impoundments of flooded former rice fields, and under the canopy of live oaks covered in Spanish moss. Somehow these big, gnarled trees lazily hanging over the roads echo the southern pace of life.