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I was fortunate enough to grow up in a very outdoors oriented
family - whether it be hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, or sightseeing - I
spent a lot of my youth immersed in the natural world that surrounds us. For as
long as I can remember, I have held a curiosity with nature and all of the
unique inhabitants that can be found in it. My love and appreciation of nature
blossomed into another level when I went to college. While getting my
bachelor's degree in environmental science at The Ohio State University, I was
lucky enough to have several internships opportunities to work with some of the
best wetland ecologists in the state of Ohio, where I developed a deep
fascination with these incredible ecosystems. Through these internships, I spent several
summers assessing hundreds of wetlands across the entire state of
Ohio, where I first got introduced to doing ecological assessment work and field
research. My primary background is in wetlands, but I am ever-working on broadening my knowledge about other
types of ecosystems. My main passion is botany, but I also have
strong interests in herpetology, birding, and most recently - photography.
I am currently in graduate school at Eastern Kentucky University
and am working on developing a method that will be used to assess the quality
of wetlands across the state of Kentucky for my master's thesis. I quickly
learned that many incredible natural areas are at my footsteps here in the
Bluegrass state. This area is truly a naturalist's paradise and I
have only begun to scratch the surface here! The goal of this blog is to share my
adventures from across the state and to highlight the diverse flora and fauna found in this great state. I hope you will enjoy it!
JohnRyan
I was born and raised in northeastern Pennsylvania. I have always been a fan of dynamic landscapes with unique biodiversity. As a native of NEPA, I was lucky enough to have had these regions within driving distance from my house. The multitude of ridges and valleys of the Appalachian and Pocono mountains have spoiled me in more ways than one. After living in Kentucky for a little over a year and witnessing so much beauty in the state's flora, fauna and landscapes, I have been humbled by how little I have actually seen. I hope to share some of my experiences here!
I received my Bachelor's degree in Biology and Environmental Science from King's College. I am currently a graduate student at Eastern Kentucky University where I am studying wetland ecology. Specifically, I am looking to see how plants, birds, and landscape disturbances can be used to predict wetland quality in Kentucky. Some of my professional experience includes: banding birds, monitoring salamander movements, fish and crayfish population studies for Mercury contamination and most recently, wetland vegetation surveys and assessments.
Some of my favorite topics to study are birds and plants. Over the past year, I have become a bit of a shutterbug and I am developing techniques in bird and plant photography. I have a special place in my heart for warblers, so don't be surprised come early April. I also enjoy pointing out the idiosyncrasies of species that folks often overlook or generally know little about. I hope you enjoy our posts!
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