Hiking at Glacier National Park

Abigail Adams

Land-use development, management, and conservation are key

debate issues in the western United States.  In a region of the country that still supports large carnivore species which require large tracts of land to survive and reproduce, protected lands are facing immense pressures from development and surrounding inhabitants.  There is a need to balance large-scale conservation strategies with smart-growth land-use practices in the inter-mountain west.  I am interested in the process by which reserve areas can be connected via habitat corridor linkages to increase wilderness area for wildlife conservation, while addressing the needs and land-use development initiatives of surrounding, local communities.  Furthermore, I believe a necessary and inherent component of this balance involves effective environmental education to youth and community members.

Born and raised in Montana, I have spent all of the summers of my life in Glacier National Park where my father is a seasonal bear management ranger. This experience honed my passion for wilderness management and the protection of biodiversity. I received my B.A. from Dartmouth College, majoring in Evolutionary and Environmental Biology. Prior to coming to Yale, I worked as a research assistant at the Arctic Studies Institute at Dartmouth College, assisting with research at the LTER site in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. I then joined Teach for America and taught 9th grade physical science at Leilehua High School in O'ahu, Hawai'i.

About me:  In my free time, I enjoy trail running, swimming, hiking, skiing, biking, climbing mountains, horseback riding, and playing the violin!

Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica