The two latest seasonal fellows to join us for a program of hands-on learning in conservation practices and land stewardship are Grant Tyler (at left in photo) and Emmett Wiegel. Grant and Emmet will be working with the foundation for the next six weeks, helping our stewardship staff take care of Leopold’s landscape.
Grant Tyler is from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, majoring in environmental science. Grant’s interests lie in the restoration of fire-dependent ecosystems, specifically longleaf savanna in the southeastern United States. His goal during his fellowship is to learn land management practices that can help people lessen their impacts on the landscape and promote the natural forces that shape our environment. His favorite activities are surfing, traveling, and birding at his local wildlife refuge.
Emmett Wiegel calls Portage, WI, his home, but always says that the whole of Wisconsin is where he grew up. Constantly traveling from park to forest to wetland with his family, he gained an early appreciation for the wilds of Wisconsin and was always wanting to be outdoors. Emmett was inspired to work in natural resources after enrolling at the River Crossing Environmental Charter School in Portage, WI, as a 7th grader. Now a student at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, he is working toward a degree in wildlife ecology and management. Emmett is excited to be working with the Aldo Leopold Foundation to expand his understanding of land management and continue building on the idea of a land ethic. In what free time he doesn’t fill with projects, Emmett enjoys hiking, kayaking, writing, drawing, camping, and backpacking.