GET TO KNOW YOUR NATURALIST
Hello! I am Brett Addis, new to the Wyoming Naturalist Program. I am the new Associate Director for the Biodiversity Institute.
I moved to Laramie in January 2021 to do a postdoc with the Biodiversity Institute working on data analytics for the Rocky Mountain Amphibian Project. I fell in love with Laramie and am excited to be able to stay here.
Tell us a bit about your journey to conservation, natural resources, and/or the outdoors.
As a kid, I always loved romping around outdoors. This later channeled into a curiosity of the natural world. In college, I did an internship in southeast Alaska where I was mentored by a faculty member at the university in Alaska to conduct an independent research project. I spent that summer kayaking to survey river otters and hiking in Grizzly country to survey boreal toads. That experience was life-changing. After that, I was inspired to go to grad school to study ecology and conservation. I feel a strong sense of stewardship to our wild places to protect all that we don’t yet understand.
What is your specialty or area of interest?
I studied salamander dispersal for my PhD, and I will always be fascinated by animal movement behaviors. Lately, I’ve been absorbed in the world of data analysis, and in particular, modeling to understand population trends.
What topic would you like to learn more about through the Wyoming Naturalist program?
Wyoming Geology! I am fascinated by all the cool rocks, minerals, and fossils in this state.
Do you have a favorite experience related to conservation or the outdoors?
I was lucky enough to get to take a field ecology course in Tanzania while I was in grad school. The wildlife was astounding in an area where conservation is very complicated.
Where is your favorite spot in the great outdoors, and why?
Probably Mount Jumbo in Missoula, Montana. My parents live right at the trailhead, so I spent my childhood on that mountain.
What is your favorite naturalist book, either fiction or non-fiction?
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen. It has beautiful descriptions of an epic journey through the Himalayas, but it is also very philosophical as well. I get something different out of it every time I read it.
Do you have a favorite snack or camping meal when you go out on projects or hiking?
Annie’s Mac and Cheese and Tasty Bite Madras Lentils. Backcountry chili mac.
Tell us one fun fact about yourself.
I am really good at guessing the weights of pumpkins! I have won multiple guessing contests!
Is there anything else you would like us to know?
I am very excited to be joining the great team that runs the Wyoming Naturalist Program, and to meet all the amazing naturalists.
WNP ANNUAL MEETING
The WNP Annual Meeting will be held this weekend at the Izaak Walton League campground and lodge in Casper.
The meeting will have a service project (marking and removing invasive trees [4 hrs]) and four in-person advanced training options (that are all top-notch opportunities)! We will have free camping at the lodge, free lunch and dinner on the 22nd, and free breakfast on the 23rd. This is a great chance to meet other WNP members from other cohorts, as well as share ideas and stories for the program. We can only continue to grow and improve with your involvement!
Advanced training during the meeting:
- data modeling (1 hr)
- hands-on herptile ID (1 hr)
- owl banding (2 hr)
- fish hatchery tour (1 hr)
There will be opportunities for service hours and 4 options for advanced training at the meeting: data modeling, herpetology, owl banding, fish hatchery tour. Everybody is invited to participate in the advanced trainings, but members can also choose not to attend any of them. The meeting is NOT mandatory, nor are any of the activities mandatory.
OPPORTUNITIES: ADVANCED TRAINING AND VOLUNTEER
In-Person Advanced Training and Volunteer Opportunities
Owls 2023 (Training) - 9/23 - 11/7 (weather permitting)
- Location: Private Cabin on Casper Mountain
- Time: 5:30 PM - 11:30 PM
- Cost: Free
- Sign up for notifications about banding nights: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=sbEynMiwLUK3p4WdG-ylI_nEjHXETh5EjeCaQk8LwbJUODI3Uk1ZVzRJREo1VFI1OUU0R0xCMDFCRi4u
Hummingbirds 2023 - This season is almost over! Watch for notifications about 2024.
2024 Tentative Bird Banding Dates
- Migration (training/spring) – 5/20 to 5/23, 5/28-5/30
- MAPS EKWS (volunteering) – 6/4, 6/11, 6/20, 7/8, 7/16, 7/23, 7/30
- MAPS BART (volunteering) - 6/5, 6/12, 6/21, 7/9, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31
- Hummingbirds (volunteering) - TBD
- Migration (training/fall) – 9/3 to 9/6, 9/9 to 9/13 *more dates might be
- added next year
- Owls (training) - 9/23 to 11/7