General Info:
In 2000 I set out with a Forest Biology Degree from SUNY-ESF on a long journey across the country. At the time my only expectations were to see what it was like in the environmental field and to gain significant field experience. I have always had a passion for the environment but I was yet undecided on what I wanted to do. Throughout this time I worked for many different organizations such as United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Forest Service and other nonprofit organizations gaining experience in habitat restoration and wildlife monitoring. Having acquired this knowledgeable experience I finally decided it was time to put it all together....and what a place to put it together. I have always enjoyed the Finger Lakes Area growing up and whenever I would come home for a visit I never wanted to leave. Why not hang around such an enchanting place and help protect and preserve it for future generations to come. And so begins my quest to create and restore native habitat. Habitat degradation and fragmentation are the most significant losses to species diversity. Commercial developments and deforestation are still occurring at significant rates which are clearing important habitat that not only provides life to wildlife but provides oxygen for us to breath. Second on list of losses to biodiversity, is invasive species invasions. It is estimated that the costs to control of invasive species is in the MILLIONS if not BILLIONS of dollars per year. Non-native invasive species out-compete our native vegetation and degrade our natural ecosystems. From lakes being overwhelmed with aquatic invasive species and lands being inundated with fragmentation, it is disrupting the intricate web of life. Migrating birds on there travels are not getting the necessary amino acids from native plants, mammals are losing astronomical amounts of habitat and are being pushed away, and fish are being overtaken by foreign species entering through ballast water. In order to solve these problems we can make a difference by supporting our native ecosystems with restoration efforts that will improve our land and waters for health and well-being.