Meet Wildlife in the West ‘24
Declan Clark
Full Name/Nickname/pronouns: Declan Clark (he/him)
School and Major (or Current Work if not in school): University of Montana, Environmental Science and Sustainability
Where are you from? Arvada, Colorado
What attracted you to this program? I was attracted to Wildlife in the West because it sounded like an amazing opportunity to more deeply understand the interactions between wildlife and people in areas I live in, through experimental learning.
What are you most excited about learning? I am most excited to learn about lynx ecology because it is an animal that I have not come across or learned about before!
How do you hope to apply what you learn here to whatever goals you have after finishing school/this program? Through the completion of this program, I hope to be able to use my education of wildlife policy to be more politically active when it comes to wildlife decisions, as well as to get involved with conservation of endangered species.
What’s one of your favorite wildlife species? My favorite wildlife species is the yellow-bellied marmot!
What's a fun fact about you? I raced mountain bikes in high school.
Aubri Longnecker
Full Name/Nickname/pronouns: Aubriana “Aubri” Longnecker (she/her)
School and Major (or Current Work if not in school): University of Miami, Marine Biology & Ecology, Marine Affairs major
Where are you from? I was born in Montana and lived here until I was 9, and I’ve lived in Columbus, Ohio since.
What attracted you to this program? When I heard about this program, I was immediately interested- the experience of getting to spend six weeks living and learning about where I grew up sounded like a dream (and so far, it has been!).
What are you most excited about learning? I am mostly looking forward to learning about the local wildlife policy and management.
How do you hope to apply what you learn here to whatever goals you have after finishing school/this program? Going forward with my education, I aim to go to law school to study marine law, so I hope to use these real-life examples of land management and wildlife conservation to broaden my knowledge and help me in my career.
What’s one of your favorite wildlife species? My favorite wildlife species is the sea otter.
What's a fun fact about you? I have three cats
Aleena Hohn
Full Name/Nickname/pronouns: Aleena Hohn (she/her)
School and Major (or Current Work if not in school): University of Montana, Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management Major
Where are you from? I'm originally from Worthington, Pennsylvania but moved to Missoula, Montana two years ago
What attracted you to this program? As a Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Major, I want to have a more well-rounded understanding of wildlife management and conservation efforts for my future career in interpretation, so I can teach others from different perspectives.
What are you most excited about learning? I am most excited about learning wildlife tracks and sign; I love spending time outdoors, and this will be a valuable skill for me personally and professionally.
How do you hope to apply what you learn here to whatever goals you have after finishing school/this program? I hope that having this field experience will help me be a more appealing candidate when I start applying for grad school.
What’s one of your favorite wildlife species?Komodo dragons are my all-time favorite, but in Montana, I love the mountain goats
What's a fun fact about you? I watched two male mountain goats fight in Glacier National Park, and it's one of my favorite wildlife experiences ever.
Also, I’m kicking Declan & Kayla’s butts at our iNaturalist challenge.
Tyler Field
Full Name/Nickname/pronouns: Tyler Field (he/him)
School and Major (or Current Work if not in school): Montana State University, Conservation Biology & Ecology major
Where are you from? La Junta, Colorado
What attracted you to this program? The idea of studying wildlife in its entirety-both the natural and political- has always interested me, and this program offers everything, rather than select parts.
What are you most excited about learning? Just in general being outside and learning how to do things like spot tracks and sign of wildlife is really exciting. I’m also excited to learn about the ecology of these species and how they interact with each other.
How do you hope to apply what you learn here to whatever goals you have after finishing school/this program? As my major revolves around conservation, I hope to apply the methods of conserving these animals, as well as other species, while gaining a greater understanding of those we are looking at.
What’s one of your favorite wildlife species? Generally large mammals, especially non-herbivores, such as grizzly and polar bears.
What's a fun fact about you? I drink tea in the *Gong Fu style.
*Gongfu Cha (literally, “Kung Fu Tea”) is a traditional Chinese term that refers to brewing tea with discipline and skill.
Lola Baerlocher
Full Name/Nickname/pronouns: Lola Baerlocher (she/they)
School and Major (or Current Work if not in school): Carroll College, Environmental Science major
Where are you from? Uniontown, Washington
What attracted you to this program? I really liked the idea of spending six weeks outdoors with complete strangers (aka new friends!) and learning about conservation in Montana. The policies and practices here tend to set the bar for much of the country, and I think having an understanding of such policies will be helpful in my future. I also really liked the variety of topics covered and the ability to earn so many credits in a short period of time.
What are you most excited about learning? I am most excited about learning how the rural community of the Swan Valley interacts with conservation professionals and how those connections between individuals and communities can be fostered.
How do you hope to apply what you learn here to whatever goals you have after finishing school/this program? I think that this course will give me the ability to have a holistic perspective when it comes to conservation, regardless of where I end up after graduation.
What’s one of your favorite wildlife species? Bald eagles!
What's a fun fact about you? I am on the Carroll College Talking Saints Speech and Debate team!
Grace Schutte
Full Name/Nickname/pronouns: Grace Schutte (she/her)
School and Major: Caroll College, Anthrozoology major, Pre-Veterinary pathway
Where are you from? Portland, Oregon
What attracted you to this program? My anthrozoology class has touched on some of the topics we will go over in the program, but I was interested in learning more about them! I was also attracted to the attention SVC places on the big 4 animals.
What are you most excited about learning? I am most interested in learning about the wolves in the valley!
How do you hope to apply what you learn here to whatever goals you have after finishing school/this program? I am looking forward to the application of wildlife conservation when I hopefully end up in the veterinary field.
What’s one of your favorite wildlife species? Ever since I was little, I have been obsessed with polar bears!
What's a fun fact about you? My favorite movie is a tie between Rio and Me Before You
Bailey Claus
Full Name/Nickname/pronouns: Bailey Claus (he/him)
School and Major: West Virginia University, Wildlife and Fisheries Management major
Where are you from? Lambertville, New Jersey
What attracted you to this program? The case study approach to learning.
What are you most excited about learning? I am most excited to learn more about an ecosystem I don’t know well.
How do you hope to apply what you learn here to whatever goals you have after finishing school/this program? I hope to apply what I know to a job working in wildlife management or land and wildlife management.
What’s one of your favorite wildlife species? Black bear
What's a fun fact about you? I can cook minute rice in 57 seconds.
Josie Howells
Full Name/Nickname/pronouns: Josephine “Josie” Howells (she/her)
School and Major (or Current Work if not in school): West Chester University, Biology major - concentration in ecology and conservation
Where are you from? Pennsylvania
What attracted you to this program? Being able to live in Montana for over a month and spend lots of time outside.
What are you most excited about learning? I’m excited to learn more about the Tribes and how they contribute to conservation.
How do you hope to apply what you learn here to whatever goals you have after finishing school/this program? I’m going to apply this to my future goals to help understand the career path I want to take.
What’s one of your favorite wildlife species? My favorite wildlife species is a shark.
What's a fun fact about you? I hiked a 14er when I was 10 years old.
Ku’ulei Doo
Full Name/Nickname/pronouns: Ku’ulei Doo (she/her)
School and Major: Washington State University, Environmental and Ecosystem Sciences
Where are you from? Hawaii
What attracted you to this program? What has attracted me to this program is getting to be out and experience what people in my field do, and just being outdoors, listening to mother nature.
What are you most excited about learning? I’m excited to learn more about how policy plays into helping the community and wildlife in improving the environment, and learning how history connects into how we treat our ecosystem.
How do you hope to apply what you learn here to whatever goals you have after finishing school/this program? I hope to apply what I learn in Montana to whatever goals I have after finishing this program, using these learning tools when I take upper division classes, and challenging myself to be a little ahead, and learning more about what I don’t know.
What’s one of your favorite wildlife species? My favorite wildlife species is a long-tailed tit.*
What's a fun fact about you? My first name means “my precious lei.”
*The long-tailed tit, also named long-tailed bushtit, is a common bird found throughout Europe and the Palearctic.
Gabriel Woods
Full Name/Nickname/pronouns: Gabriel “Gabe” Woods (he/him)
School and Major (or Current Work if not in school): University of Rhode Island, Wildlife Biology and Political Science double major
Where are you from? I’m originally from Fort Worth, Texas
What attracted you to this program? I really wanted to come to this program because I’ve always wanted to see Montana, and I’m fascinated with megafauna, specifically bears.
What are you most excited about learning? I’m excited about being a better outdoorsman and applying scientific principles to my outdoors life.
How do you hope to apply what you learn here to whatever goals you have after finishing school/this program? I want to go into wildlife research after school or work for the Forest Service.
What’s one of your favorite wildlife species? Polar bears
What's a fun fact about you? I’m horribly colorblind.
