Field Researcher FAQ
by Mark MacAllister
February 5, 2004
Page 1
: Wendy Cluse
Editor's note: Field Trip Earth users ask a variety of questions
about the field researchers featured on the site. Here are
the most common questions, along with responses from several
of the researchers.
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
Wendy Cluse, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission |
| What do you study in the field? |
Anything regarding sea turtles: sea turtle nestings, hatchings, and strandings |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
Anywhere along the coast of North Carolina |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
I majored in biology in college, and focused mainly on marine biology, and then I received my Master's degree in environmental management, which focused more on conservation and policy |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
We responded to a call about 2 dead turtles floating in a marina, only to find after pulling them from the water that one was still alive, although barely. He was hypothermic from being caught in cold water—he hadn't made his migration south soon enough. We were able to get him into rehab quickly and he was released back into the ocean happy and healthy about two months later. |
| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
My work directly protects nesting females, eggs, and hatchlings through our monitoring program. Studying strandings helps us learn more about what is killing sea turtles and how we can protect them while they are in the water. Since a lot of our time is spent in the field, we have many opportunities to talk with the public and educate them on the importance of preserving the beach and ocean habitat. If I do my job right, hopefully we'll begin seeing an increase in sea turtle populations. |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
Growing up, my family always vacationed at the beach, and I've always seen the ocean and beaches as a magical and sacred place. As I grew older, I learned more and more how much trouble the ocean ecosystem is in and it not only scared me, but frustrated me that there are many people who don't do anything about it. What happens to the ocean affects the entire planet, not just the coastal regions. Sea Change by Sylvia Earle is a classic book that anyone interested in understanding what is happening to our oceans should read. |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
Perhaps working towards my PhD, either studying sea turtles still or freshwater turtles. I hope that in some small way the work that I've done so far has made a difference for the species that I'm trying to protect. |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
I'd probably be a veterinarian, or a vet technician. I have always loved animals, and couldn't inagine not working with them. For a long time I had thought about going to vet school after getting my Master's Degree, but I love what I do now and am in no hurry to go back to school!! |
| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
Spend more time outside enjoying nature, whether it's taking a walk, riding your bike, or just sitting in the shade reading a book. Take some time to appreciate the outdoors, because with that grows the desire to protect it. |
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Wendy Cluse
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Page 2
: Jennifer Gilbreath
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
My name is Jennifer Gilbreath, and I worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). FWS is a branch of the US Department of the Interior. |
| What do you study in the field? |
I worked specifically with the Red Wolf Recovery Program. That doesn't mean that I worked exclusively with red wolves. The species that I worked most often with is Homo sapiens, or human beings. Without the educational efforts to ensure public support, many endangered species programs would not exist. |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
My fieldwork was mostly done on wildlife refuges and private property in northeastern North Carolina. |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
I took as many field and other biology classes as I could in college. I also volunteered at a local wildlife refuge. |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
I was digging a hole for a wolf trap on a little land bridge over a canal of water. A big culvert was under the land bridge so that the canal water could flow under it. It was a very cold and lonely Sunday morning in the middle of a huge wheat field next to Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. As I was banging around, I would occasionally hear a loud chirp, then a splash in the canal. I wasn't able to see the creature making the sound—it dove back into the water before I could look up from my task at hand.
After the fourth chirp, I looked up again and an otter was looking at me from about 14 feet away. Its head and shoulders were above water, and it kept looking at me and chirping. Wild otters are usually very shy, so getting to not only see one, but to have it interacting with me was a real treat. I guess I must have awakened the otter as it slept under the land bridge. I think it was telling me to go away in otter language.
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| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
The FWS initiated the Red Wolf Recovery Program so that the red wolf could return to the wild. My work contributed to that effort and the information obtained from red wolf research will benefit other endangered species programs! |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
I think my father was a great influence in my career choice. He took me hunting and fishing with him when I was a child and I really enjoyed being outside. Though I didn't necessarily like that he killed animals, I grew to have an appreciation for sportsmen and women. If done ethically, it can be a wonderful outdoor experience. |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
Ten years from now I hope to be involved with the Red Wolf Coalition by working at the Red Wolf Center 2 or 3 days per week. |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
I would probably be involved with wildlife or social nonprofit efforts. I have also considered a career in education. |
| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
One action that we can all take it is to boycott products that we oppose. For example, I do not eat shark meat because shark are being over-fished. I also do not eat veal because I disagree with the ways that the animals are treated. Some people do not eat meat because they think it's cruel to eat animals and they disagree with the power that some meat companies have.
Boycotting can work because if no one buys a certain product, the company may stop selling it or change their practices so that people will begin to buy the product again. Don't forget to buy dolphin-safe tuna at your grocery store! Dolphin-safe tuna is one success story of the power of boycotting!
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Page 3
: Matthew Godfrey
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
Matthew H. Godfrey, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission |
| What do you study in the field? |
I study sea turtles that occur in North Carolina (loggerheads, greens, Kemp's ridleys, and leatherbacks). |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
The entire coast of North Carolina |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
I studied zoology, specifically I studied sea turtles that nest in Suriname and Brazil in South America |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
I once saw a leatherback and green turtle collide while they were both looking for a spot to dig a nest on the beach. Obviously, the leatherback won! |
| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
I hope that the work I do helps to improve the management of sea turtles in North Carolina and elsewhere. |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
I have always loved the beach and ocean, so I am very happy to be able to work on the coast. |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
I hope I will still be working with turtles somewhere. |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
I would be a cook. |
| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
Try to reduce your "footprint" on the environment (that is, limit your consumption, reduce the amount of waste you produce, seek to minimize negative impacts on the environment). |
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Matthew Godfrey
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Page 4
: Lucy Hawkes
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
Lucy Hawkes, Marine Turtle Research Group |
| What do you study in the field? |
Loggerhead Sea Turtles |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
North Carolina, USA; Cape Verde, Western Africa; Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
A Bachelors degree in Marine Biology, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics at High school |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
Having to drive a sea turtle back to the ocean because she got confused and headed inland after nesting |
| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
Monitoring the numbers of sea turtles and the numbers of nests that are laid each year tells us whether sea turtles are increasing or decreasing in number and whether there is any need for concern. When we have a big data set, we can prove if sea turtles need help and get people to help! |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
The Jacques Cousteau underwater series (but I'm not that old!), growing up by the sea in South West England, beach vacations in Italy, and always wanting to be a SCUBA diver from 10 years old onwards! |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
Working in a nice field site somewhere in India or Asia with sea turtles and writing new research papers that people will talk about... |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
Be an underwater photographer, OR a forensic pathologist (a little different I know!) |
| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
Never drop trash and always pick up as much trash as you can when you go to the beach! Also eat less (or no) shrimp as it is the single biggest threat to sea turtles worldwide and the industry accidentally kills hundreds of thousands of sea turtles a year due to problems with the fishing technique and the nets used. Sorry, that was two! |
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Lucy Hawkes
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Page 5
: Todd Katzner
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
My name is Todd Katzner. I am a US National Science Foundation Postdoctoral International Research Fellow at Imperial College London and at the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York. |
| What do you study in the field? |
Eagles, vultures and many other conservation issues. |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
In central Asia—Kazakhstan primarily. Soon I will be working in Georgia (near Russia). |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
I did my undergraduate work at Oberlin College, OH, a Master's degree at the University of Wyoming, and a PhD at Arizona State University. I also took several field courses along the way in Minnesota and Costa Rica. |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
Being chased by a moose in Alaska, getting about 15 feet from a bobcat in Wyoming, having wolves howl within 1/2 mile of me at 5:00 AM in Minnesota (and then having another pack even closer answer them), climbing to eagle nests in Kazakhstan. |
| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
Much of my work is in a national nature reserve in Kazakhstan. I study the eagles there to see where they live, what they eat and where they get their food. With this knowledge we can take actions to protect the birds—enlarge the park in areas where they forage, protect important nest sites, etc. I also study vultures, because vulture populations have declined dramatically in the past 15 years, and we are trying to figure out why and what we can do to stop this decline. |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
One of the most important things I did was to take a field biology course when I was an undergraduate student. This was a crucially important resource. This place, the Coe College Wilderness Field Station (http://www.public.coe.edu/fieldstation/) is a great place for students to study. It also allows you to develop an area of interest that many people cannot experience in school in a city. After college, I spent time as a volunteer on several research projects. These were sponsored by the Student Conservation Association, which has programs for high-school and college age students (http://www.sca-inc.org/). |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
More field research, making a greater contribution to wildlife conservation. |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
Doctor of medicine. |
| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
Understand the relationship between our actions and the impact they have on wildlife and wild systems. If you do this, you will be able to make intellegent decisions about a whole range of environmental issues. Humans and wildlife can coexist, but only if we make good choices. |
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Todd Katzner
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Page 6
: Catherine McClellan
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
Catherine McClellan, Duke Marine Lab |
| What do you study in the field? |
Habitat use of aquatic animals like sea turtles and how the environment and humans influence their behavior |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
Pamlico Sound, NC |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
Zoology, Ecology, Marine Biology, Limnology |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
Running away from lightning storms when I'm in a boat on the water is always "exciting" but not in a good way. One time while driving my boat a fish jumped out of the water and right into the boat. |
| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
By applying the information I learn about how animals use the habitat and how things change over time, we have more insight into how our actions have an impact and we learn what we can do to conserve and protect the animals and their habitats. |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
"Gorillas in the Mist" - the story of Diane Fossy |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
More of the same, but in exciting new places with exciting new people. |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
Garden... I'd have an enormous greenhouse too. |
| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
Understand that everyone has an impact on the environment (animals and places) and make sure that your impact is a positive one. To do this you must be aware, act conscienciously, and share your ideals with others. |
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Catherine McClellan
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Page 7
: Michael Morse
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
Michael Morse, wildlife biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, Manteo, NC |
| What do you study in the field? |
The field team I am part of manages and monitors the reintroduction of the Red Wolf (Canis rufus). |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
I work in northeastern North Carolina. The study area is comprised of five counties and covers over 1.5 million arces. The study area is refered to as the "Pamlimarle pennisula" as it is bounded on the south by the Pamlico River and the north by the Albemarle Sound. |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
I majored in terrestrial biology and wildlife management. This also included a heavy dose of chemistry and physics. I recomend the physics to everyone - it's around us all - everyday. |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
Even after all this time, it's still fantistic to capture a wild-born wolf pup and release it (after health checks) back in to the world it truly belongs in. |
| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
The red wolf is a "top" level carnivore. Because of this, its presence helps to balance the ecosystem it lives in. |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
The books I still love and remember are "Stickeen: The Story of a Dog" by John Muir and "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold. I have always enjoyed the movie "Never Cry Wolf." I suspect that growing up backpacking and enjoying the outdoors has fostered my desire to become a field researcher. |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
I hope that whatever I'm doing in ten years, I'll still be in a positon to improve the environment and the success of the animals that live in it. |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
I would want to be involved with outdoor education. I like the idea of helping others learn about wildlife and their associated systems. |
| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
One thing we can all do is pay attention to the natural world around us, and ask "why" when we notice something is wrong. Who knows, someday you may have a chance to do something about it. |
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Michael Morse
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Page 8
: Peter Ngea
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
Peter Ngea, WWF Cameroon Country Programme Office, Jengi Project |
| What do you study in the field? |
I am in charge of communicating with target audiences about our work in the field |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
In the South East of Cameroon |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
Law in University, and Journalism |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
Staying close to the action during the tagging of elephants in order to get good photos and detailed reports |
| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
I raise awareness for those who live IN the forest and for those who live ON the forest. My work is to trigger concern for the wild. |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
I read Al Gore's "Earth in the Balance." |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
Write stories & plays that will touch the strongest hearts in matters of environmental awareness |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
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| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
Join a rangers or wildlife club |
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Peter Ngea
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Page 9
: Shyamala Ratnayeke
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
Shyamala Ratnayeke, University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| What do you study in the field? |
Sloth bears and other carnivores |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
Sri Lanka |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
Biology and the sciences. Ecology was my favorite subdiscipline of biology. I felt truly alive during this class. |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
There've been several, but one incident in particular is unforgettable. I was downloading data from a remote camera in the field when an elephant approached me from behind on the trail I was on. I heard soft footsteps approaching from behind and did not realize it was an elephant until it stopped a few feet behind me and I turned around to see who this was. I almost jumped out of my skin!! I guess the elephant felt the same way because as I somersaulted out of the way, he took off, feet, trunk and dust flying in all four directions. I still think it was polite of him to have stopped to give me time to react. |
| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
What we learn gives us a better understanding of what these animals need for survival and will hopefully be applied to managing and conserving appropriate habitat for them. I also use whatever opportunities I get to share what I learn in the field with students, teachers and whoever else may be interested. Many of the rural children I meet may have fathers or relatives that are poachers. They leave with a better understanding of the animals in the parks and, I hope, a realization that wild animals need refuges too where they can be relatively free from human interference. |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
I think there are certain people who simply have to be close to nature to achieve a sense of spiritual well being. I guess my happiest moments have been during times I've spent in the jungles and other wild places. |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
Hopefully doing work similar to what I do now. |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
I think I'd be working with rural people in a poor third world country like Sri Lanka which has great wild habitats. People are tremendously important and unless we can help the rural poor survive and have a decent quality of life, we will lose our wilderness. |
| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
Read, visit and learn as much as possible about wild animals and habitats. Knowledge is a powerful tool and you will use it in more ways than you know towards conservation. |
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Shyamala Ratnayeke
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Page 10
: Katie Settlage
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
Katie Settlage, University of Tennessee |
| What do you study in the field? |
I participate in a study of the American black bear population of the southern Appalachian mountains. I perform mark-recapture surveys using both live-capturing and DNA sampling, in order to monitor the population trends and evaluate the monitoring techniques that we use. |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
I work in the northwest part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which straddles the North Carolina-Tennessee border. All my field work is on the Tennessee side of the Park. |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
I got my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at the University of Arkansas, which was a wonderful experience, but much of my 'studies' have been out of the classroom as well! |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
This is a tough question! No doubt, when we catch a big male bear, it can get exciting. This summer, my crewmember Roy and I caught the biggest male we've ever caught, on a trap that was attached to a tree that we wished at that moment was just a bit bigger and stouter! But I think that was just our adrenaline systems talking! Really, the most unusual experience we had was when we caught a female bear, and she had cubs. We approached her and she was laying on the ground flat out like a carp, dead to the world. We started to worry that she was dead, because when we walked right up to her she didn't FLINCH. She was asleep!!! Exhausted, I guess, from taking care of those babies. We poked her with a branch and the most we could get from her was a big, tongue-curling yawn. We tranquilized her, but we joked that we could have probably gotten away without it. I guess that's when 2 cubs can do to you! |
| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
I hope that my work increases scienfic understanding of a species and it's habitat, as well as increasing public awareness for that species. |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
Well, I 've ALWAYS loved being outside and poking around in the woods and creeks around our house. I think being a nature-oriented person is something I've had since birth. But my family has also allowed and encouraged their daughter to do all those outdoorsey things, and I am grateful for that. As for other influences, it really ranges. In preschool we had a "naturalist," Mrs. Twilliger, that took us on walks through the woods. I wanted to be Mrs. Twilliger, and know the names of all the ferns and moths and birds. I loved the TV show "Wild America" with Marty Stouffer. As a kid, I read "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell three times. Now, some of my favorite books include "Desert Solitaire" by Edward Abbey, "The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher" by Lewis Thomas, "The Immense Journey" by Loren Eiseley, and of course, "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold. |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
Whatever makes me happy ten years from now! |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
I would and train horses. I love to teach horses how to jump, and I like teaching people how to ride and jump horses as well. |
| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
Maybe you could get your class organized and adopt a stretch of roadway for litter clean up. My 5th grade class adopted a beach and a creek! We helped clean up the environment, and it was fun. |
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Katie Settlage
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Page 11
: Frank van Manen
| What is your name, and who do you work for? |
Frank van Manen; Southern Appalachian Field Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey |
| What do you study in the field? |
Black bears and other large mammals, rare plants and trees |
| Where do you do your fieldwork? |
National Parks and other federal lands in the Southeastern United States |
| What did you study in school (or elsewhere) that prepared you for your work? |
I received a Master's degree from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. |
| What's the most unusual or exciting thing that's happened to you while working in the field? |
Climbing 70 foot up in an old-growth tree during the winter denning period of black bears to find a female bear with little cubs in a hollow cavity. |
| How does your work benefit wild animals or wild places? |
Through our research we try to understand how animals and plants respond to their habitat and changing landscapes. Once we understand those relationships, we work with management agencies, such as the National Park Service or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to help them manage areas better for wildlife or to restore wildlife populations. |
| What movies or books or personal experiences inspired you to become a field researcher? |
I read Jack London's 'The Call of the Wild' when I was fairly young and that book made quite an impact. As a kid, I always enjoyed fishing and taking hikes and bike rides in the woods and studying nature. |
| What do you hope to be doing ten years from now? |
The exact same I'm doing now! |
| If you could not be a wildlife researcher, what would you do instead? |
I would probably pursue a career as a professional photographer. |
| What is one thing a school-aged child can do to make the world better for wild animals and wild places? |
Believe that one person can make a difference! |
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Frank van Manen
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 About the author:
Mark MacAllister is the Project Coordinator for Field
Trip Earth.
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