As the clock struck noon, everyone on the crew was antsy to put fire on the ground after many hours of preparation. It was hard to believe that I, on only the fourth prescribed burn of my life, was wielding the drip torch as the primary igniter on my line in the 66-acre unit called “Kemmerer.” I felt averse to the weight of the responsibility, but, as I have throughout the fellowship, I chose to trust that if my experienced supervisors believed in me, then I should put that trust in myself too.
Fifteen minutes into the burn my alertness remained, but my nerves started to melt and fold like the tall grasses around me ensconced in flame. So many of the principles that I had learned from my Leopold Foundation stewardship instructors, Mitchell, Carl, and Arik and from my teachers at UW-Steven’s Point burn school, started to “click” as theory became reality in the fire behavior under my torch. I felt empowered to take the reins, zig zagging in and out of the unit, thickening our black line, dotting in the interior and preemptively burning black around big heavy fuels.
Igniting with a drip torch on a prescribed fire.
Me (second from the left) with my cohort and other staff member mentors in front of the Shack.
With the fire fully controlled by the time we reached the southeast corner of Kemmerer at 4PM, I passed off my torch, excused myself via radio, and headed to my trusty Honda to make the two and a half hour drive up north to Green Bay where my partner, Milan, and his mom were waiting for me with a home cooked Indian meal. As I drove down the familiar rustic road, I contemplated the fact that I was not just heading to Green Bay to visit for a weekend this time, but to the house and the person that in one month would be my new home. Even months after getting the call, it still feels surreal to say that I will soon start my dream job as a Biologist for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (UWFWS) in Green Bay, an accomplishment that my time at the Aldo Leopold Foundation helped me achieve.
It all began when I worked with USFWS biologists for my master’s work at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, near Madison. The wildlife-centered mission of the agency enthralled me and I knew I wanted to work for the organization. But how to get there? I knew that one major gap on my resume was my lack of field skills and the Aldo Leopold Foundation’s Land Stewardship fellowship role seemed to offer many great certifications and trainings. It turned out to not be false advertising.
The amount of hands-on experience and trainings I gained here is truly remarkable. The summer was focused on herbicide application in which I studied for and passed the exam to obtain my applicator certification. In the fall, I was challenged to step out of my comfort zone to lead crane tours (tens of thousands of sandhill cranes gather each fall on the Wisconsin River near the Shack, and the foundation brings “tourists” to blinds to view the awe-inspiring spectacle!) with the particularly rewarding experience of delivering a tour to an exuberant bunch of second grade students. In the winter, I honed my chainsaw skills and became proficient after hundreds of hours on the saw. Spring is devoted to burning where in my last few weeks I get to put my Type II Firefighter certification into practice, in addition to experiencing the softer side of conservation working in the greenhouse and hand scattering prairie seeds on the landscape. With these new tangible skills, my “story” is now complete to employers, showcasing a full gamut of lab, research, human relations, and now field competencies.
Driving Mrs. Hartman’s second grade class in the tractor for a crane viewing.
Besides filling in the “field skills” gap on my resume, the other key component to landing my dream job was through a relationship I made here, one of many spun from the rich web of conservation connections the Aldo Leopold Foundation nurtures. This year I have had the incredible opportunity to capitalize on these connections through my work on a yearlong independent project to develop an alumni network of former fellows. When I first received the list of 100 names, I looked to see if anyone now works for USWFS. Amazingly, the one person who did, happened to be working in Green Bay of all places! My heart pounded with the hope of possibilities.
Her name was Betsy Galbraith and little did I know at the time how important she would become in my life. As a fellow in 1997, Betsy worked on land stewardship projects as I had and saw the fellowship, as I do, as an extremely influential and meaningful experience in her life. We met several times and I could hardly believe her genuine kindness and willingness to help me on my career journey. She not only looked over my resume, but provided guidance, did a practice interview with me, and put in a good word for me when I did end up applying for federal jobs in the Green Bay area not to mention bestowing me with farm-fresh eggs and salsa.
My mentor, Betsy Galbraith (right) with her cohort member, Monika Hannemann (left), on the Leopold Memorial Reserve when she was a fellow in 1997.
Months and many rejections later, I got the life-changing call that I had been offered a job with USFWS in the fisheries department in Green Bay within driving distance of where my partner lives. In that moment, my journey played in my head like an old-fashioned film strip animation from rescuing frogs as a young girl to stalking katydids at night on my college campus to donning a lab coat to test muskrat livers for heavy metal contamination. All the hard work and connections I had cultivated were paying off and I was flooded with gratitude for Betsy, Nina Leopold Bradley and her husband who founded the fellowship to give young conservationists such opportunities, and the continued work of the Aldo Leopold Foundation for their multi-generational roles in helping me achieve my dream.
Aldo Leopold Foundation staff gather by the Shack after an event.
While it may have been skills and connections that helped land me the job, it is the much deeper lessons that will help me do my new job well. One can have all the skills and knowledge in the world but it is meaningless without an underlying guiding force, what I have come to embrace through my time here, a land ethic. It is not static, nor is it written, but it is learned through life experience, time, and conversations. I came into the fellowship thinking that there were clear right and wrong actions to take in environmental restoration and I am leaving understanding the much deeper complexities behind stewardship actions. While that was an overwhelming realization at first, my budding land ethic comforts me as a way to make decisions more soundly as I move on to ecosystems beyond a Sand County and for that I am grateful.
Are you interested in learning more about the Future Leaders Program?
