Would you like to submit a question to the community of Biologists?
What did you study in school/get your degree(s) in?
Ask a Biologist Monday 10/24/22
Answers from Biologists:
BS Conservation and wildlife bio, animal health, molecular bio. MS Conservation bio.
BS in zoology, Minor in Evolution Ecology. MS Environmental Studies.
AS Environmental studies. AAS Natural resources conservation. BT Wildlife management.
BS Soil and Environmental Science with a GIS certificate. MS Water Resources.
BS in Environmental Biosciences and working on an MS in Environmental Sciences.
BS Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences + Forest Ecology.
MS of Natural Resources (non-thesis).
BSc Marine and Freshwater Biology.
BS in Biology and Animal Behavior. MA in Ecology and Environmental Science.
BS Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. MS Forestry and Natural Resources.
BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. MS and PhD in Wildlife Management.
BS in Wildlife: Conservation Biology and Applied Vertebrate Ecology.
BS in Environmental Science. MS in Wildlife.
BS, MS, and PhD in Biology (PhD had an Ecology/Evolution focus).
BS in Geography, Minor in Biology.
BS in Biology. MS in Wildlife Ecology.
BS in Wildlife Biology. Working on an MS in Biology (Ecology and Evolution emphasis).
BS in Wildlife Management. MS in Wildlife Health.
BS in Wildlife Conservation and MS in Wildlife Biology.
BS Conservation Biology and working on MS in Raptor Biology.
BS in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology (with an emphasis on Wildlife).
BS Zoology. BS Fisheries and wildlife. Working on an MS in Wildlife Sciences.
BS in Wildlife Biology. Working on an MS in Evolutionary Biology.
BSc in Biomedical Biology and MSc in Forestry. Super not traditional, but I still made it!
BS in Zoology.
BS in Geography. MS in Biological Sciences.
BS in Environmental Science/Biology. M Engineering in Civil Engineering-Water Resources.
BA in Biology and Environmental Studies. MS in Environmental Biology.
BS Wildlife Science. MS Zoology, emphasis is Aquatic Ecology.
BA in Environmental Studies with Conservation Bio focus. MS in Zoology.
BS Zoology. MS Wildlife Ecology. Working on a PhD in Natural Resources.
BS Zoology. MS Biology, Conservation Emphasis.
BS Environmental Science and Society, Zoology minor. MS Ecology and Evolution.
BS in Biological Sciences with focus on Ecology.
BS Biological Sciences. MS Biology. PhD Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
BS General Studies and Conservation Biology.
BS in Biology and Wildlife Ecology. Working on MS in Natural Resources.
BS in Wildlife ecology and management, minor in water resources/biology. MSc in Natural Resources Management.
BS Wildlife Bio, Minors in GIS and Wetlands. Getting MS in Renewable Natural Resources.
BS Environmental Science, freshwater, and terrestrial ecology. Working on and MS in Fisheries.
HBSc in Oenology and Viticulture. Now doing a diploma in Fish and wildlife.
BS in Wildlife Biology. MS in Biology. Working on a PhD in Marine Biology.
BS in Psychology. MS in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology.
BS Environmental Science. MS Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences.
BS in Fisheries and Wildlife. MS in Wildlife Ecology.
BS Biology with concentration in Wildlife Biology and Conservation.
BS in Biology, concentration in cell/molecular biology).
BS in Geography and Environmental science, with a certificate in GIS.
BS in Biology with and emphasis on Ecology and Biodiversity.
BA Geography (I had to work my butt off doing seasonal/on-call gigs to make up for it).
BS in Wildlife ecology, minor in Political Science.
BS in Biology.
BSc Biology, concentration in Neurobiology, Minor in Kinesiology.
BSc in Environmental and Resource Science.
BS Biology with concentration in Zoology, Minor in Psychology.
BS Environmental Science and Policy, Minor in Biology.
BS Wildlife Ecology. MS Environmental science and Political Science.
BS in Journalism and Environmental Science. MS in Environmental Science.
BS Wildlife Conservation. MS Climate change managing the marine environment.
BS Wildlife and Fisheries. MEnS-Master of Environmental Science.
BS Biology with an Ecology focus.
BS Wildlife and Fisheries Science. MS in Range and Wildlife Management.
BS in Zoology. Working on MS in Biology.
BS Biology with animal behavior concentration (allowed me to take ecology and conservation courses).
BA in English, minor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. MS in Environmental Science.
BS in Wildlife and Fisheries. MS in Wildlife Resources. PhD in Forest Resources.
BS in Biology.
BSc in Biology and diploma in Fish and Wildlife.
BS and MS in Natural Resources and Environmental Science.
BSc and MSc in Agricultural Sciences. Now doing a PhD in Molecular Zoology.
BA in Biology and French.
BS Ecology. MS Fisheries and Aquatic Science.
AA in Business. BS in Wildlife and Conservation. Currently getting an MS in Biological Sciences.
BS in Wildlife Resources. MNR (Master of Natural Resources).
BS in Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife, with a specialty in forest and wildlife management.
BT in Wildlife Management.
BS in Biology and Environmental Science. Currently doing my PhD in Marine Biology.
BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, concentration on Fish Biology.
BS in Wildlife Management and Conservation.
BS in Biology. Currently working on an MS in Biology-Avian Ecology.
BS in Environmental Science, focus in Conservation Ecology.
BS in Wildlife Conservation.
BS in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology.
BS in Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity. Working on MS in Wildlife and Fisheries.
BS in Fisheries Conservation. Working on MS in Biology with and Aquatic Conservation focus.
BS in Natural Resources Management.
AS in Science. BS in Biology, Minor in Wildlife Ecology. Going back for an MS in Molecular Medicine.
BS in Biology. MS in Plant Science. Working on PhD in Biological Science (insect taxonomist).
BS in Biochemistry. MS in Plant Pathology.
BS in Marine Biology. PhD in Integrative Biology.
BS Biology. BA English. BAS Wildlife Biology. MS Wildlife Ecology.
BA in History. MS in Natural Resources Management (Huge career change!).
BS in Biology. MS in Northern Ecosystems.
BA in English, Psychology, and Ecology/Evolutionary Biology. Currently working on an MS.
BS Biology. MNR-Master’s of Natural Resources. PhD Natural Resources, Wildlife Science.
BS in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology.
BS in Ecology and Environmental Biology. MS in Natural Resources Management.
BS in Biology with and Ecology/Evolution and Conservation focus. MS in Ecology.
BS in Communications and Journalism. MS in Environmental Science and Policy.
BS in Integrative Animal Biology. Grad Certificate in Wildlife Management.
BA in Biology with concentration in Ecology, Animal Behavior, and Evolution.
BSc in Environmental Science. MSc Conservation Biology.
BA Biology. MS Ecology.
MS in Zoology. MS in Environmental Management (Policy).
Dual BS in Environmental Science and Biology. MS in Renewable Natural Resources, concentration in Wildlife Biology.
BS in Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation.
BA in Integrated Biology. BS in Molecular Environmental Biology.
BS in Wildlife Ecology with emphasis on Natural Resources.
BS in Fisheries and Wildlife Science.
BS in Environmental management and Wildlife biology.
BS in Environmental Science and Natural Resources.
BSc in Biology with an emphasis in Zoology.
BSFR in Fisheries and Wildlife. MNR (Master of Natural Resources).
BA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. MS in Environmental Science.
BS in Fisheries and Wildlife.
BS Wildlife Ecology and Management. MS Environmental Science/Ecological Restoration.
BSc Conservation and Wildlife Biology. BSc (Honors) Environmental Science.
BS in Wildlife Science. BA in English.
BS Environmental Science and Management, with a focus in Ecological Restoration.
BA in Psychology. BS in Animal Behavior, minor in Biology. PhD in Biology.
BS in Fisheries and Wildlife. MS in Veterinary Science focused on wildlife epidemiology.
BS in Environmental Biology. MS in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources.
BS in Wildlife Science.
BS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation.
BS in Zoology and Botany. MS in Ecology.
BS in Biology. MS in Wildlife and Fisheries Science.
BS in Wildlife Management (went Environmental science to Wildlife biology to Wildlife management). MS Conservation Bio.
What’s a work-related thing that you stress out about?
Ask a Biologist Monday 10/17/22
Answers from Biologists:
Imposter syndrome
Giving presentations.
Giving my techs fair time off amidst chaotic conditions.
I’ve been out of the field for 3 months and I’m still having stress dreams about if I left a mist net up.
Am I doing enough?
Being sure the boat plug was in place after launching.
Meetings: Will I be talked over? Will there be drama after?
Scheduling volunteer events and committees as a junior biologist that can’t say no.
Did I turn off the water? (animal care turtles and frogs)
Did I lock the enclosure?
Safety in the field as a woman.
Making sure my field workplaces are safe and equitable for all.
Someone getting hurt on my watch during field season.
Making sure to do thorough decontamination of equipment and shoes.
Plant phenology as a biologist who does native seed conservation.
Spending my days off stressing about work issues.
Grants.
Trap checks. Making sure I check and close/remove all traps.
Mice potentially escaping before I can get all their measurements.
Getting back to people in a timely manner when I’m in the thick of field season.
An entire season of negative detections. Are they not here or are my traps not working?
Getting the ATV stuck.
Sending emails. Should be simple, but man can it be stressful.
Funding.
Who did I accidentally leave on “read” today?
Will I ever feel like I know what I’m doing?
Packing for hitches.
Facilitating meetings.
Did I lock the office door at the end of the day?
Getting the truck stuck.
My samples getting lost/delayed in the mail.
Statistics.
Forgetting a deadline.
Having to pee in the middle of a telemetry flight.
That my data is clean and techniques are sound (especially in GIS).
Are the techs going to break/lose everything if I take a a day off?
Being able to retire after years of seasonal work without 401ks and whole career of being underpaid.
Did I spellcheck before sending out my report.
Not being taken seriously as a woman/minority.
Remembering to close all the fences behind me (or leave them open if they were open).
Forgetting to set the telemetry receiver correctly before I take off in the helicopter.
Getting injured in the middle of field season.
DNA degradation during the shipping journey to the diagnostics lab.
Applying to jobs every 3-6 months.
Not giving enough attention to my friends and family back home while I’m on a field job.
Being physically capable to handle my job. I’m usually around very fit people.
Getting your truck stuck where there is not service.
Did I bring the keys for the camera traps? Did I leave the keys for the locks at the camera?
Forgetting an essential piece of field gear.
Gathering data while I’m in school.
What's your go to activity to stay happy when you're away from home for work?
Answers from Biologists:
Art art art. And hiking with friends.
Trying the local food.
Even cheap hotels usually have a pool/hot tub-soaking sore muscles and reading.
Have a fun book to keep busy during down time.
I try to have a hobby that I can take with me.
Visit a local coffee shop or brewery.
Rock climbing. Can't think about work when I'm on the rocks.
Find local trails to walk on.
Go birding.
Nature photography on nice days and reading my Kindle on rainy ones.
Buying groceries I love. No use hoarding the per diem.
Being in nature but shutting off my Biologist brain.
Using the opportunity to have long phone calls with family and friends.
Find a good local restaurant to try.
I try to track down postcards/art galleries to send my family/friends items from my work travels.
Journaling.
Bringing my hammock (with a bug net) and finding a nice quiet place to read.
Field water colors
Photography
I run, spend time with my friends, community in the community. I'm so much more than my job.
Coffee and a book. And taking lots of pictures of plants.
Birdwatching.
What is one thing you wish you could change about the field of Biology?
Ask a Biologist Monday 10/3/22
Answers from Biologists:
I wish there was a bigger emphasis on safety and well-being in fieldwork jobs.
How every job needs experience or a master’s degree but doesn’t pay livable wage.
Gatekeeping. No academic, you don’t have exclusive rights to a target species.
That people would value our work more. We all work hard and should be compensated for it.
Misogynistic attitudes and gatekeeping in academia and biology-focused agencies.
Fanaticism. It’s the end of critical thinking.
The vicious cycle of needing experience to get experience.
Job availability/stability. So hard to find a job to live off of.
More emphasis on how research can be applied on the ground vs. just stating the issues.
Better pay and more jobs. It sucks to have seasoned techs waiting years for vacancies in permanent spots.
The idea that we HAVE to leave our partners or family to have a successful field career.
The egos and treatment of people, especially in the carnivore world.
Have more pay, year round, entry level positions at a living wage.
Fieldwork that requires you to leave your entire home life and be grateful for it.
The pay. Besides being more livable I think it could help with DEI.
The lack of work-life balance.
Fieldwork careers providing more benefits (retirement, health insurance, etc.).
The disconnect between academic research and applied management.
Elitism, especially in academic bio. It’s the enemy of education and change.
The tremendous culture of “tradition” that is just blatant abuse, racism, and sexism.
Elitism, competition. A professor told me “if you’re not publishing papers, you’re just messing around”.
That family, friends, love life, your well-being are always second to this field.
Toxic masculinity impacting ALL genders, mental/physical, including men, in the field.
The idea that if you don’t like working in the rain, with lots of bugs, bad weather, etc. it means you’re a bad biologist.
The bureaucracy that accompanies government positions.
More entry level permanent jobs to make this field equitable.
More acceptance from the general public that women are qualified Biologists.
The competitiveness and territoriality.
More funding.
The prevalence of burnout culture. No data is more important than the health of the staff.
Having to have a master’s degree for a lot of jobs.
The lack of diversity.
The belief that if you don’t have the “Biologist” title, you’re not a real biologist.
The belief that it’s normal to have to abandon your personal life for a job (partner, pets, etc.).
The culture of dressing a certain way. I shouldn’t be shamed for being fashionable.
Appreciating diverse backgrounds. Not everyone can afford seasonal positions.
The lack of personal time expected. We all need time to breathe.
Racism against Indigenous communities.
The pretentious gatekeeping. Anyone can be a scientist.
Everyone’s hiring but it’s so competitive and easy to lost hope.
That you must dress and look like a stereotypical biologist.
Pressure to let your field consume your entire life.
Competitiveness.
That is was easier to gain experience without spending money of your own.
The old mentality of “since we had to do it that way, you have to do it the same”.
Lack of diversity and ableist attitudes.
The pigeonholing that can happen (study songbirds once, always a songbird tech).
Lack of inclusivity and acceptance of nuerodivergents/autists in fieldwork.
How do you recover from a long stint/season in the field?
Ask a Biologist Monday 9/26/22
Answers from Biologists:
Clean my car because every season it ends up holding all my equipment/belongings/junk.
Reading (mysteries, urban fantasy), baking, cooking, YouTube cooking shows, Instagram.
Get a haircut, or put on some nice makeup or nice clothes. Anything to feel less like a gremlin!
If I can, I alter my schedule briefly to allow time to sleep in and have a nice coffee.
A Big Mac, a long shower, and cuddles with my pup.
Sleep, snuggle pets, watch lots of tv.
Watch tv and relax. Go outside for myself, good reminder to see how beautiful it is when I can sit down.
Meeting up with friends and family I don’t get to see while working.
Playing Stardew Valley on my Switch and snuggling my dog. And eating of course!
Dress nice for a change and treat myself to a nice dinner/concert/shopping spree.
Gardening and spending time with my furred and feathered kids re-centers me.
Sleeeeeeep!
Take time off. Spend time with family and friends. Nap a lot.
Long showers, the Deep in the Heart of Texas doc. reading Grassland by Dick Manning.
Get a pedicure because my feet are in brutal shape.
Save money to get my car cleaned by someone, then self care rituals and reaching out to friends/family.
I work year round so daily self care is big for me (hot baths, skincare, weekly gear cleaning).
Stay on my couch and bed as much as possible, also wearing comfy clothes and pjs.
Catch up on my hobbies (which still involve being in nature).
Promise myself to never do it again, veg for 4 months, rinse and repeat.
Most of mine are late night so I enjoy a bowl of cereal before bed.
Disconnect from technology so no one can reach me for a bit (go camping).
Take a long solo road trip on the way home then spend time with family/friends.
Enjoy a nice long sleep without worrying about 3am alarms.
Spend time with loved ones, binge watch TV, or just chill.
Spend all my time with my dog.
Spend time with loved ones and splurge on a massage or other spa services.
Theragun and a cold beer.
Deep clean my field gear-clean backpacks, oiled leather boots, so satisfying!
Big huge salads, buying new gear, and taking a long bubble bath.
Icecream!
Baths, snacks, crafts, TV and video games.
Lots of naps.
Video games or Netflix when I need time inside. Photographing animals otherwise.
Spending some time alone at home in my space to reset, then lots of friends and family.
Sleep, stretching, and all the food.
Take your vacation time! It’s there for a reason. No sense in letting it build up until you are forced to take it.
Resting indoors a lot, but also going outside to do only fun things that I love, so outside isn’t only work.
Being inside can be so nice after a long field day/season. Also candy.
Ice cream.
A roadtrip.
Bathe in moisturizer and eat all of the home-cooked vegetables.
Deep clean my car and closet to reset. It helps to have friends to body double to get it done.
Who is a role model/inspiration to you?
Ask a Biologist Monday 9/19/22
Answers from Biologists:
BIPOC biologists. The challenges that they have to push through are so much more than white scientists.
Kart brothers
Jack Hannah
Steve Irwin
My high school AP teacher.
Grad school advisor. They taught me about work-life balance.
My high school biology teacher. They were so passionate.
Lynn Bohs. She mentored me in undergrad. Her passion and knowledge are unrivaled.
My dad. He always told me I could be whatever I wanted and believed in me.
My mom, who was a wildland firefighter and the kindest person I know.
My Conservation Biology professor, Colleen StClair. Inspiring to see women in Conservation work.
2 of my nontraditional undergrad/community college peers. Paths to biology differ but are inspiring.
@jesshausti and @laureneckert
Indigenous scientists and stewards. Y’all are badass and I appreciate you immensely!
Queer and trans folks who are unapologetically themselves in this field, making it safer for all.
Steve Irwin really got me into conservation from a young age.
The first wildlife biologist I got to volunteer with. She’s such a cool lady and really helped me.
My best friend. We reconnected as nontraditional students and become total bad-asses together.
@ashcable, @linsdeyphillips, @ellieburken
Tips for landing a long-term/permanent job.
Ask a Biologist Monday 9/12/22
Answers from Biologists:
Work on GIS skills. It really does make a difference!
Don’t give up. Your journey is unique to you. Enjoy the (slow) process.
Resist working unpaid positions. They won’t get you much of anywhere.
Make and deeply foster your connections within the field.
Get a Master’s!
Unfortunately, getting a master’s. But years of loyal experience for great recommendations also helps.
Keep an open mind of the topic/species you’re hung up on isn’t providing that opportunity.
Network with partners in various projects to explore your options and build your references.
Get as many certifications as you can.
MS for sure. Absolute game changer.
Being open to a variety of locations, type of org/agency, and species.
Don’t be afraid to take jobs a bit outside of your preferred topic. Makes you a well-rounded candidate.
Get someone experienced to give their feedback on your CV/resume.
Master’s.
Studying how to nail interviews and a lot of patience.
Either an MS or experience, or get in as a tech/term position with a state agency and try to stay.
Networking is essential. It’s dumb but it’s all about who you know and who knows you.
I worked as a seasonal and kept making connections until I landed a permanent position.
Learn bio resume crafting. Key language is different from other fields. Interview skills/prep.
Just keep flinging yourself at the wall-but intelligently. Look for term positions that fill gaps.
For me, I had to take a job that I don’t love. It pays and build valuable skills!
Go to conferences. You will make so many connections!
Establish connections with your supervisors during tech/intern positions.
Try to keep your focus broad at first to gain as many widely applicable skills as possible.
Networking (which is hard)! See if friend’s companies are hiring.
Look into consulting. Even short term, it pays well and builds your resume.
It’s okay to push back against the idea of having to move away from your family/home.
Diversify your seasonal positions between government, private, non-profit, etc.
Seasonal jobs in offices with other departments (wildlife, sport fish, game fish, habitat).
Don’t be afraid to move. You limit your opportunities if you’re set on working in a certain place.
Be willing to move. Far. Anywhere.
Be open to moving-could be cities, states, or even countries.
Go to conferences! BUT don’t sit with your friends. Go network and ask questions.
Networking was what did it for me!
NETWORKING. My boss did not care that I had an MS but he knew who I’d worked for.
Sell yourself as hard as you can in every single interview. There’s zero benefit to holding back.
Don’t just look for jobs in your target system. Go after everything.
Try to develop at least one niche field skill. For me, plant ID ecosystem classification.
GIS skills and stats programming in R.
Take a position that gets you a Public Land Corps hiring status if you want to be a fed.
Organizations love specialists, but rely most on generalists. Diversify your experience.
Hone your interview skills.
Get on a brand spankin’ new project as a seasonal and hope it grows.
Join professional organizations and run for positions on boards/committees.
Make and hone connections through social media.
Summarize your job duties in 10 words or less
Ask a Biologist Monday 9/5/22
Answers from Biologists:
Threatened and endangered species recovery and habitat restoration.
Primate necropsies with tissue distribution to minimize monkeys used.
Make maps, review data, emails and calls, attend meetings.
Make sure transportation projects don’t impact our local wildlife.
Catch juvenile salmon to discover habitat preference.
Use trained detection dogs to conduct wildlife surveys.
Collect long term monitoring data for fisheries.
Collect samples from roadkill and write a big thesis.
Commercial guide outfitter licensing and allocation management. And data queries.
Conserve and restore remnants of a declining ecosystem.
Riparian surveys, supporting clean water, flood control, and mitigation projects.
Human/wildlife damage mitigation with a focus on urban areas.
Count fish using complex and often expensive methods.
Monitor restored wetlands and write big reports. Teach the youths.
Fauna sampling for a 30 year project.
Surveying and mapping rare and sensitive plant communities.
Balance protection and development.
Necropsies, stable isotopes, and all things coyote for a thesis.
Cheetah keeper in Africa.
Hang pink flags on wetland edge.
Give bats a mic to sing to.
Observe Oregon’s threatened and endangered plants and create conservation and restoration strategies.
Autopsies on large carnivore species and assisting population management research.
Project manage digital aerial wildlife survey projects for offshore renewables.
Manage and protect saline lake ecosystems.
Chase sneaky birds in hopes of sciencing. Survey habitat of sneaky birds.
Expand environmental education programs for k-12 students in rural Oregon.
Manage 50 invasive python removal contractors and their data.
State oversight on industrial development. Sage grouse, migration corridors, wildlife.
Determine factors in salamander elevational gradients, then write a thesis.
Wetland restoration. Pine reforestation. Keep Florida wild.
Band waterfowl.
Western NC small mammals. Are they genetically diverse or not?
Walk up hills and look at ground.
Make more of endangered species (conservation breeding).
Find bats, explain nature, know the law.
Evaluate everglades restoration projects for impacts to threatened/endangered species.
Research and conserve coral reefs of American Samoa’s sanctuary waters.
Prevent transportation projects from impacting sensitive species and habitat.
Estimate populations to open trapping/hunting seasons on popular species.
Identify plant communities to help guide sustainable development.
Take different funding sources and fix habitat.
Ensure projects in/near water don’t negatively impact fish.
Remove invasive plants. Rx burning. Wildlife surveys. Manage check stations.
Coordinate research for a field station and conduct wildlife research.
Bear/human conflict mitigation.
Track special status species (all taxa) in Arizona.
Remove protected and endangered species from a power plant intake.
Teach people how to watch bighorn sheep behave.
Novice salamander tatooer (to tag them) and undergrad student.
Rescue, rehabilitate, research, and necropsy marine animals.
Restore land the military messed up.
Haze waterfowl and shorebirds from tailings ponds to protect them from oiling.
Manage big game populations.
Make data FAIR-findable, interoperable, accessible, and reproducible.
Conservation on private lands funded through the Farm Bill.
Saving the turtles.
Teach people about birds.
Measure random stuff my boss tells me to.
Drop rabilois to trash pandas.
Manage wildlife for private land owners. Help get tax exemptions.
Manage wildlife on reservation and in ceded territory.
Manage biological monitoring programs in an estuary.
Recover at-risk species, protect habitat, expand protected areas.
Sell conservation to landowners and ranchers in sage-grouse country.
Monitor bird and mosquito populations for avian malaria in Hawai’i.
Catching falcons, fitting telemetry, cleaning data, coding, analysis, writing thesis.
Find out why dead animals died. Try to stop it.
Manage human/wildlife conflicts on airports.
What’s a field gear item/brand you’d recommend?
Ask a Biologist Monday 8/29/22
Answers from Biologists:
Sun hat
Carpenter’s pouch to hold bird bags while working at banding sites.
A buff or similar gaiter with UV protection.
Double front pants/bibs. Especially if you work in dense, brushy habitat.
Asolo hiking boots.
Under armor. Field gear that lasts a decade and can be found cheap at TJMaxx.
Lightweight long sleeve white shirts and wet bandana for the back of your neck on hot days.
Osprey packs. Mine has held up to a lot of abuse in wetland and you can get pro deals up to 40% off.
Osprey packs-most durable and comfortable.
Tactical boots instead of hiking boots. More comfortable, functional, and last longer.
Lacrosse rubber boots.
A leatherman.
Darn Tough wool boot socks for any weather, any season. Great warranty and product.
Dovetail work pants are so nice. They’re a female owned company for feminine workers.
Smartwool socks.
REI long sleeve sun shirts for desert and high elevation.
Duluth trading company women’s firehose pants. They have multiple great pockets.
Hot water/drink in a large thermos.
Dry socks in a sealed plastic bag.
Small dry bags for your phone/small things you want to keep dry.
Dan’s hip boot/waders. Expensive but worth the investment since they’ll last multiple seasons.
Frog toggs cooling towel during summer field work.
A good pair of wool socks.
5.11. Their rip stop pants.
Fleece lined field pants for the winter.
SIMS chest waders. Worth the price.
Kuhl women’s splash pants for working in the summer heat. Quick drying and pockets.
Decathlon field pants. So many pockets.
Bucket hats. Especially water proof and SPF gear.
Fanny packs are super useful for things you want access to.
Neck gaiters. Can be used to ward off bugs. as an eye mask to sleep, etc.
Kuhl cloth for those who squat to pee!
NRS straps.
Sun gloves. I hated that my hands were a completely different shade of brown.
Dry bag for personal gear so you don’t need to bring wet things inside the truck.
Duluth Trading Co’s gardening vest. Good for summer and more stylish than a fishing vest.
Gerber for multitools.
Coleman camping equipment.
The Original Bug Shirt! So much better than a head net.
Frog Togg cooling towel.
Venus to Mars pee funnel. Easy to travel with and use.
Kula cloth. I have 3. Support a small, women-owned, LGBTQ+ business and “Leave No Trace”.
Re-usable soft cups (great if you can’t use a Diva cup).
Gaiters. Helpful for keeping ticks and debris out of boots and socks while hiking.
Period underwear.
Outdoor Research wool gloves. Game changer!
Outfoor Edge knives with replaceable blades.
Headlamp>flashlight for night work. I try for 100 lumens and rechargeable.
Carhartt leggings. Durable , moveable, comfy and tons of pockets.
Boot/glove dryer. You can’t put a price on dry feet!
First Lite and Duluth Trading Co for women’s pants.
Ray Allen and Active Dogs for working dog gear.
Get a bug net for your head.
Prana Halle pants are the best.
Insulated water bottle to have cold water at the end of the day.
Columbia field/outdoor shirts. They keep the sun off, are breathable, and have pockets.
Snake gaiters. They don’t always rattle!
A multi-tool, particularly one with a scalpel.
Darn Tough socks are the only ones worth wearing in the field. Your feet will thank you!
Long sleeved, but lightweight clothing. Keeps you cool and sun safe.
Goodr sunglasses. Polarized, lightweight, fun colors, and affordable.
Gaiters for general fieldgear but @gowworkwear is my new favorite brand for field clothes.
Dickies pants are just as good as Carhartt and way cheaper.
A Leatherman multi tool.
Eddie Bauer petite pants are great for us short folks who have a hard time finding pants.
First Lite women’s pants. Quiet, comfy, 6 pockets, built in stretch, durable.
Coaltree trail pants.
Electric hand heaters. Any brand. Reusable and acts as back up battery.
Tasmanian Tiger backpacks. Expensive and modular but absolutely indestructible.
Muck boots consistently hold up in the wetlands and they’re comfy enough for hiking.
5.11
Camelbak.
Merrell for boots.
Dovetail workwear field clothes. Designed specifically for women.
A lunchbox you can use as a little stool for lots of squatty work.
Travel bidet (Tushy or Culo clean). No more leaves when you run out of toilet paper.
5.11 tactical pants. Durable and lightweight plus many pockets.
Work gloves. They keep the bugs off and protect my hands while bushwacking.
Outdoor Research, especially their head nets.
Grunden’s women’s Maris fishing leggings. So warm and comfy for winter fieldwork.
Grants: Where can you find them? Writing/application tips/tricks?
Ask a Biologist 8/22/22
Answers from Biologists:
Grants.gov
Have multiple people proof read it.
Grant Gopher
Work on your story telling within your proposal.
Don’t use complex jargon and define your acronyms.
Focus on the solutions you’ll enact with the grant.
Detail how you and your collaborators have needed expertise.
Budget to properly pay techs needed for the project.
Get letters of support/partnership.
As a grant reviewer: Make sure your math is solid and your budget is reasonable.
Related to above, include power analysis when possible.
Keep your audience in mind when writing.
Stay focused on the goals within your proposal.
Be organized and brief in writing.
Carefully read and meet all the application requirements.
Give yourself more time than you think to prepare your application.
Create a realistic timeline and outline how goals will be met within that time.
Keep attachments limited to those you need.
Don’t be afraid to call the posting agency to talk about the grant before submission.
Pay attention to formatting-use the same formatting as their call for proposals.
NSF.org
Follow instructions and application requirements closely.
Clearly define the outcomes of your project if successful.
Check the scoring criteria they’re using and try to focus on those things.
Make it clear in the narrative why you need the grant.
ASHA.org
What’s your favorite ecology-themed show/movie/podcast?
Ask a Biologist Monday 8/15/22
Answers from Biologists:
Movies
The Big Year
Chasing Coral
Hoot
Puff (Netflix)
Documentaries with David Attenborough
Secrets of the Zoo (Disney+)
Blackfish
Grizzly Man
BBC Earth
TV
Zoboomafoo
PBS Nature
The Crocodile Hunter
PBS Nature
The Wild with Chris Morgan
My Octopus Teacher
Princess Mobile
Podcasts
Tooth and Claw
Creature Feature
Birdnote
Get Out Alive
Songbirding
It’s A Wildlife
Big Biology
You’re Gonna Die Out There
This Podcast Will Kill You
Fish of the Week
The Wild Times
Birder’s Guide to Everything
In Defense of Plants
Completely Arbortrary
K9 Conservationists
The Field Guides
Herpetological Highlights
For the Wild
Golden State Naturalist
Beyond Blathers
Artemis
SquaMates
Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
The Anthropo Scene
Colubrids and Colubroids
Common Descendent
Fire University
The Wild with Chris Morgan
Youtube
True Facts by zefrank1
Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t
Mossy Earth
PBS Terra
Leave Curious
Terra Mater
How do you keep a good work/life balance?
Ask a Biologist Monday 8/8/22
Answers from Biologists:
I prioritize following my body and what it needs each day.
I make my work hours well known to my colleagues.
I work irregular days and don’t have work email on my phone so I don’t get emails on my days off.
Find friends or hobbies outside of work.
I make sure that work isn’t my entire identity. I’m not just a biologist!
Notifications for work email are turned off when not at work.
Google Calendar helps me set boundaries.
Having a kid forces the issue. Limit travel, maintain a 40 hour work week or overtime/comp time.
Make sure to make time for things that interest you and you’re passionate about.
Therapy, exercise, social life, and boundaries at work.
Make friends with different jobs and interests.
If traveling for work on a weekend/non-work day, take days off in lieu.
My work email isn’t checked on my personal phone.
I quit a program that didn’t respect boundaries.
I leave my work cell at the office as much as possible (when not in the field).
When I’m burnt out in the field, I find fun indoor activities for the weekend.
I use my PTO when I have it.
Close all my tabs and shut down my computer at the end of the work day.
Take my full lunch and any breaks I’m allowed.
Having hobbies unrelated to work. I’m personally working on this.
Actually taking sick leave when I feel ill.
My government job rarely approves overtime work and my work email is inaccessible from personal devices.
After 10 years, I had to walk away. I lost my balance.
Left a job when I realized it was toxic and harmful to my mental health.
I make sure to cultivate an identity outside of work.
Don’t answer any sort of work related messages past my working hours.
I make very clear to my technicians what circumstances it’s okay to call/text me under when I’m off work.
I delegate my tasks/responsibilities when I’m not going to be in the office.
I do nothing work related after hours.
I take all of my PTO and all of my breaks.
Give yourself at least one thing to look forward to not work related every month (concert, dinner, day trip, etc.).
If I am in a position to do so (money, power, dynamics, etc.) I set very firm work boundaries.
I always ask in interviews about the work/life balance of the company/organization.
If I work extra hours one week, I take those off the next week (salaried position).
Try to have fun on weekends.
I’m not signed into work email on my phone.
Schedule activities soon after work so it forces you to leave at the “normal” time.
I clarify my work responsibilities when starting a new job and try to hold those boundaries.
What is the weirdest or best artifact/thing you’ve found while doing fieldwork?
Ask a Biologist Monday 8/2/22
Answers from Biologists:
Illegal pot grow in the wilderness.
A dive torch (while diving) absolutely covered in bio fouling. It still worked.
A man baking a salmonberry pie in his semi-permanent camp in a National Forest.
A vibrator and a tire in the same stretch of river bank.
The knife my co-worker lost in the field the year before.
An unused tranquilizer dart.
Cocaine and black tar herion.
Old rusty beer can. The brand was the last name of our bio department’s head. It’s still displayed in his office.
A bone chandelier on a mangrove island.
Safes. So many safes in rivers. All busted open. One was next to a pile of deer bones.
A fridge that washed downstream during a flood still fully stocked with beer.
A single can of water from the 50’s, alone in the woods a long way in.
Three long guns that washed downriver in a flood.
A broken safe with purple heart medals in it.
An old trapper cabin with supplies.
A doll head in mud with a bullet hole in it.
A canabis grow operation tucked into the woods.
Went to pee behind a shrub and found a decapitated cow head.
Old hand-blown glass balls that used to be used for fishing net buoys.
A drug drop off spot in a hollow tree by a river.
Entire javelina skull after going a different way because of a rattlesnake.
The propane tanks from a meth lab.
Homemade cork and wooden duck decoys.
Porcelain-iron bathtub miles away from any road or building, literally at the top of a ridge.
An old typewriter.
An abandoned cemetery in the middle of the woods next to an old schoolhouse.
A small bomb from around WWII completely intact.
A cosmetology training head and a stuffed llama nailed to a tree.
A Crown Royal bag full of dildos.
Hermit crab using a doll’s head as a shell.
Pair of black necked stilt (bird) legs standing on a log. No feathers or body in sight.
A rabbit mascot suit head while crashing through mangroves.
A golden dildo in the middle of Joshua Tree National Park.
Baby dolls. They always creep me out when they’re in the woods!
Burned car, 3 miles down an old mining road.
Galapagos uninhabited island. Found a sealed jar on the beach, so excited! Runny poop pours out.
A backpack full of Scentsy products.
Burnt jewelry wrapped in duct tape with ducks on it with someone’s ID inside.
Thigh high pile of cow bones in an area I had to pack into.
Weirdest: dumping ground for large animal carcasses. Best: Fossils
A hydroflask in nice condition. Mine now!
Bowling balls half buried in the sand.
An illegal weed grow site.
An abandoned KKK meeting site., burned cross included.
Cruised a dildo looking for snakes.
An old locked bank vault in the middle of the Mojave desert.
Old cars in the middle of forests/deserts always give me the heebie-jeebies.
Old wooden owl call hanging on a branch near our field site.
Fleshlight in a national forest.
A pile of 10+ mannequin legs. Just the legs.
Doing pebble counts in streams and pulled a completely rusted ax out of the water.
A shot up porcelain doll with a note stating “I’m Abigail and I’m cursed”.
Tight with heels tied onto the feet dangling in trees.
Super old broken pottery from wrecked Spanish ships while working in the Gulf of Mexico.
A children’s car seat washed up on the shore of a Pacific atoll.
A red colored cloth tied to a stick to mark the grave of a russels viper inside of a tiger reserve.
Buoy in the forest.
Coast guard floating weather probe. Looked like a rocket.
Two cow skulls with bullet holes and bullet casings all around the area.
A whole decaying dolphin.
A roost of tent making bats while fishing for guppies in Trinidad.
We find a boat almost everywhere in Michigan, no matter how far inland we are.
25 pairs of discarded undies in various field jobs and travels.
An abandoned homestead with the story of the couple’s luck and loss written in the house.
Dual action sex doll next to a mannequin head.
A small grave for “Carl” in a random cow pasture on a school’s ranch (pretty sure it was for a dog).
A DVD titled “Outdoor Freaks Vol. 2”. We can guess what it was.
A random grave in the middle of the woods.
What should you look for in a grad school/advisor/program?
Ask a Biologist Monday 7/25/22
A professor that respects your work/life balance.
A professor that makes sure their lab is inclusive and pays their undergrads.
An empathetic and clear advisor and funding.
Someone who is willing to work with you to ensure you’re earing a livable grad stipend.
A kind human without a high drop out rate.
A fully-funded project with solid funding that won’t fall through during your project.
You don’t need a big-name school. Focus instead on a good advisor.
Don’t force yourself into a research project you don’t want.
Awareness of the needs of minority students and proactively supports them.
Make sure to get the inside scoop by talking to current and former grad students!
Funding. There were programs I had to turn down because of lack of funding.
Someone who will support your in your post grad school goals (eg: academia vs. industry).
A tuition waiver is key.
Make sure it’s funded and a project you’ll enjoy.
Only do non-thesis if you have extensive experience designing, managing, and funding projects.
Make sure they haven’t had a lot of students that recently left the program.
An advisor that you can actually discuss your research with.
Support staff for your statistics/coding helps a ton.
An online degree helped me continue to move up in my established career without having to leave it.
See if you can figure out past students finish rate. If only 50% of their students graduate, that’s bad.
Health insurance!
Full funding.
Talk to current grad students on the phone or in person (not email).
Someone willing to bring something to the table financially for conferences and training.
An advisor who is present.
Check with their former and current students. Some issues won’t arise until awhile into the program.
A person who understands your topic, pays a living wage, and has a decent sized lab (not too big or too small).
A project that is widely applicable and will give you a range of skills.
Someone who doesn’t just hire 4.0 GPA students and understands failure happens.
Kindness.
Financial support and networking opportunities (eg: conferences, relationship with state).
Funding. Don’t pay for grad school and look for a stipend that covers the cost of living in the area.
Just make sure your grad school tuition is paid for.
An advisor you can say “no” to. Especially about project ideas that aren’t feasible/achievable.
A program and advisor that puts student safety first and informs them about such.
Communication.
Make sure funding is provided by the school if the advisor doesn’t have it.
Be wary of advisors who say they are “hands off”.
An advisor who creates a good community among lab members.
What’s a recent exciting advancement in the field?
Ask a Biologist Monday 7/19/22
Answers from Biologists:
Focus on urban conservation and environmental justice.
Cloning endangered species with preserved genetic material (ex: black footed ferret).
Greater focus on traditional ecological knowledge.
Accelerometer (ACC) data from transmitters to remotely quantify animal behavior.
The push to pay technicians a living wage.
STEAM! The blending of art and science. It’s beautiful.
The focus on sci-comm and sci-art. Folks are realizing what powerful tools these are.
Tiny solar powered satellite tags for birds to track migration remotely.
We’ve started using LiDAR with our digital aerial surveys to measure flight heights of birds.
Drone DNA collection from the blows of whales. It’s like a video game to predict it.
Use of species range maps to prioritize land acquisition to promote biodiversity.
Continuous time movement modeling to quantify movement.
Stable isotope analysis of tissue and hair.
MOTUS network expanding and Nano tags.
Survey 123/Epicollect. Collecting data electronically saves time and you carry less.
Smaller, stronger GPS tags.
Underwater drones to survey for turtles.
Combining AI and citizen science to improve wildlife identification in photos.
Live camera feeds on bird nests.
Advancements in acoustic surveys to study bats, birds, frogs/toads, and more!
Using conservation dogs to do scent work on projects.
Anti-poaching transmitters that can even sense when the animal is under stress.
Using drones to plant trees.
Artificial intelligence to track deforestation and water loss.
Infrared imaging of animals.
Tips/tricks for hygiene/cleanliness in the field.
Ask a Biologist Monday 7/11/22
Answers from Biologists:
I carry a small cloth and a jug of water.
Always pack deodorant in my bag for long, hot days.
Always have an extra pair of dry, clean socks.
Squeezy water bottle. Can squirt on hands, face. Great for cleaning menstrual cups too.
I keep deodorant, wipes, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper in my bag.
Small bottle of camp soap in my field pack.
In dire situations, a smooth rock works pretty well for wiping.
Wet wipes and a pocket sized pack of tissues.
hellotushy portable bidet and homemade shower w/a weed sprayer.
Solar showers are awesome for long camping trips in warm temps.
It’s amazing what you can do with a small spray bottle of water.
Extra socks and underwear in the car in case I fall into the wetland.
Extra hand sanitizer-great for germs and tree sap.
Dry shampoo in the bag always.
Diva cup for when I’m on my period. Only needs emptying every 12 hours. Game changer.
Travel sized hand wipes and face wipes, a soapy water jug, and a change of clothes.
Always have a change of clothes.
Witch hazel as deodorant, moisturizer, bug repellent, itch relief.
A different pair of shoes and fresh socks for the ride home/at camp.
A stand to pee device like the p-style (made by a woman-owned company).
Soap buttons are awesome.
Lume deodorant and body wash cuts BO completely.
Wet wipes, hand sanitizer, water, and camp soap.
Facial cleaning pre-moistened pads.
Spare shoes and socks and a plastic bag to put my dirty ones in.
Washable gardening gloves are great for all kinds of grime and poison oak/ivy.
Absolutely the cucumber baby wipes for everything.
Biodegradable toilet paper.
I always have something to wash the sunblock/sweat/dust off my face.
Bandanas to catch the sweat. Works wonders and makes you feel less gross.
My p-style has come in handy.
Wearing natural fibers-less stink.
How do you deal with imposter syndrome?
Ask a Biologist Monday 7/4/22
Answers from Biologists:
Opening up to my friends in academia about these feelings. They usually feel the same way.
Mediocrity is everywhere. My worst effort will still be good enough. I’ll do better next time.
Daily affirmations, a loving support network, and lots of dog cuddles.
Distancing myself from people who add to it or make me feel small.
I try to remember science is collaborative and we all have skills/expertise to contribute.
I go through my photos to remind myself of what I’ve accomplished despite what I feel at the moment.
Therapy and self affirmations.
When my family/friends ask me bio questions, it reminds me that I’m more than my failed job.
Start looking at pictures of spiders or go find one in my house. They give me serotonin.
Therapy.
Talking about it and reminding myself I’m a badass.
I like to lean into it-if I’ve an imposter I must be pretty great at it to have made it this far.
List my accomplishments and contributions no matter how small/minor they are.
Read my resume.
Remind myself I’m not the only one.
I remember I’m always trying to learn and tell myself that I’m smarter than most.
Talk about it with my coworkers. They all feel similar.
Give it a funny voice. Mine sounds like Dwight from the Office.
Honestly I’ve been trying to stop thinking about it as having “imposter syndrome”.
Keep a journal of the great days where I feel like I really excelled to look back on.
Learning about it helped me. Hearing this feeling I had has a name let me know I’m not alone.
Talk about it!
Remind myself how far I’ve come.
Therapy and talking about therapy openly with peers, colleagues, and mentors.
Talk to my friends/coworkers. Remind myself that no one really knows what they’re doing.
I take screenshots of praise for my work and look through them when I’m feeling inadequate.
What jobs have you worked between seasonal positions?
Ask a Biologist Monday 6/27/22
Answers from Biologists:
Fast food and grocery store.
Pizza delivery, plumbing, security system installation, furniture mover. naturalist guide.
Bookstore clerk
File cleaning at a law firm.
Client support over the phone to sell fridges.
Retail and substitute teaching. I highly recommend teaching!
Veterinary clinic, food industry.
Assistant ranch manager, veterinary tech, horse trainer.
Vet tech, laundry attendant, UPS store clerk.
Swim instructor/lifeguard.
Shoveling snow.
Bartending.
Bartender, waitress, lab assistant, farm hand.
Farm hand and biology instructor.
Bakeries and coffee shops. People skills, networking, and time to write.
Bartender, nanny, warehouse package person.
Loading luggage at an airport, waitress.
Babysitter, waitress, unemployed.
Waitress.
Dog boarding kennel receptionist.
Local humane society.
Hotel front desk.
Ski instructor, hiking, backpacking instructor/guide, environmental education.
House and dog sitting, grass mowing, town laborer, elementary TA, liquor store clerk.
Dog day care. They liked that I had husbandry experience.
Substitute teacher. Only needed my bachelor’s in the state I was in. Flexible and good money!
Vet assistant.
Bartender, line cook, nanny.
Waitress.
Museum camps.
Cashier at a grocery store, customer service at Lowe’s.
Pet store employee/manager, computer part warehouse, Panera bread, and unemployment.
Barista in the fall/winter.
After school teacher.
Kitchen work. You can move anywhere and find work.
Restaurant hostess, unemployed, animal talent handler.
Vet assistant, outdoor gear retail, farmhand, unemployed.
Climbing gym receptionist, server, online freelancer.
Waitress, farm hand, substitute teacher.
Landscaper, housekeeping, retail, food service.
Substitute teacher.
Summer basketball coach.
DQ, bartender, retail, science programs for kids.
Retail.
Babysitting, Lyft.
Gardener, camp counselor, HR assistant, outdoor adventure guide, grocery store clerk.
College lab tutor/TA.
Bartender/server, jewelry sales associate, Amazon picker, afterhours stocker, and retail.
Vet tech/assistant.
Catering, cashier, Grubhub, pet sitting, hostess, snowboard instructor.
Movie theater employee, receptionist, cashier at a liquor store.
Weed farm, animal shelter, vet tech.
Uber eats, postmates, substitute teacher, dog sitting.
Daycare teacher.
Lowe’s
Waiting tables.
Program area director at a Scout camp. 2 of my classes were fishing and I loved it.
Seafood processing.
Substitute teacher.
Substitute teacher.
Sub teacher, bartender, camp counselor, receptionist.
Barista, delivery driver, farmer’s markets.
Cashier at a bait/snack store on a city lake.
Cross country coach and lots of pet sitting.
Front desk receptionist at a campground.
Starbucks while part time seasonally.
Babysitting.
Gardening/landscaping/hazard tree removal.
Grad school side gigs: stable hand, retail, waitress.
Amazon warehouse-benefits day 1.
Illustration for language learning materials.
Farmhand.
Fallback job on the same farm I worked at since I was 13.
Retail job.
Collecting unemployment.
Server, bartender, lifeguard, horse caretaker.
Zoo custodian, librarian assistant.
Warehouse worker at a college textbook company.
Target, Victoria’s Secret, restaurants.
Food service, usually coffee shops.
Housekeeper, ski lift, unemployment.
Hardware store.
FexEx, custom clothing company, a bank, a dog walker.
Naturalist, watch repair, bank teller, gym membership rep, server, horse wrangler.
Dog and horse sitter.
Coffee shop barista and assistant manager.
Harvested grapes for a university coop extension ag research program.
Server at a seasonal restaurant.
Aquarium ticker agent (w/MS degree).
My own beadwork business.
Customer service, Instacart, Rover.
What every day item have you used in your fieldwork?
Ask a Biologist Monday 6/20/22
Answers from Biologists:
Coffee cans attached to paracord to get water samples when we can’t wade in.
Gatorade bottle to hold staples.
Coin envelopes to put hair samples in.
Ziploc/glad bags instead of expensive sampling plastic bags.
Ziploc bags. Perfect for containing amphibians and keeping them moist.
Pringles cans to weigh angry kestrels.
A spoon to dig up a gopher hole and and place a trap.
Altoid boxes for bird bands.
Cloth bag that sheet sets come in to hold gulls if I’m solo banding.
Floor buffer pads to collect algae samples.
Spoons to collect salamander eggs that lay in vegetation.
Pringles can to weigh birds.
Pillow cases to weigh ground squirrels.
Film canisters to carry color bands.
Sock to weigh birds.
Big yogurt tubs to weigh salamanders.
Pringles cans for Merlin weights.
Spotify for owl calls.
Pillow cases to handle small mammals.
Dish soap for insect traps.
Tupperware for floating eggs.
Pillowcases to transport snakes.
Ziploc bags for amphibian, fish, and aquatic invertebrate ID while dipnetting.
Plastic storage tote to weigh fish so they don’t flop off the scale.
Morton salt containers to measure snow density.
Cottage cheese containers to catch coyote urine from pups in hand.
Bottle caps make good butterfly food dishes.
5 gallon bucket for carrying everything and anything.
Pillowcases for weighing bobcats.
Toilet paper roll for weighing birds.
Crochet hook for filling nanotags.
Socks over geese’s heads to keep them calm while waiting for processing.
Cut up pantyhose to wrap bats for weighing.
Crown Royal purple bags to weigh birds.
Pop bottle to focal trap ground squirrels.
Lube to insert vaginal trackers into deer to tell when they have given birth.
Old burlap sacks for holding ducks.
Minutemaid concentrate can to weigh birds.
Plastic film canisters for insect collection/viewing.
Yoplait containers for weighing birds.
Gallon plastic bag to put snakes in for weighing (with air holes).
Turkey fryer to boil water for imported fire ant mounds.
Talenti containers for field sharps container. Great excuse to eat icecream too.
Yogurt tubs to weigh clams and snakes.
Dish tubs to hold clams.
Spoons to dig up turtle eggs.
Turkey basters to feed tadpoles.
Plant saucers make excellent food dishes for willdife rehab.
Snakes in pillowcases for ease of transport.
Gallon Ziplocs to weigh skunks.
Telescoping automotive inspection mirror for nest checks.
Tea strainers to hold bait for camera traps.
Ripped t shirts to pad t posts when we slide a pole over.
Urine sample cups to hold pollinators while surveying.
A large El Pato tomato can to prop tortoises on top so they can't run away.
Socks with toes cut off to cover lamb's eyes and keep them calm.
Cat litter containers to hold flying squirrels when removing them from trees.
Morton salt canisters to measure snow density.
Lint roller to remove ticks.
Mesh laundry hampers to hold snakes while processing.
Tupperware to hold frogs for weighing.
Toothbrush cases to hold pre loaded syringes.
Rain gutters for track tubes.
Giant plastic cups to weigh lizards ava fishing poles to catch them.
Yogurt tubs to carry bait.
Stubby (beer) holders to keep critters warm while pitfall trapping.
Hole puncher for adipose fin samples.
Eyebrow tweezers into bead organizer tray for scale samples.
Plumbing tubing and stainless steel straw to apply gastric radio tags.
Wine bottles for octopus dens.
Modified icecream tubs for passerine recovery warm up bins.
What’s the most incorrect/frustrating nature “fact” you’ve heard?
Ask A Biologist Monday 6/13/22
Answers from Biologists:
Lacewing eggs are a type of flower that only blooms every 1000 years.
Cottonmouths/water moccasins chase people.
You can suck the venom out of a snake bite.
Mother birds will abandon chicks that have been handled because they “smell like humans”.
Any animal that seems smaller than what you’d expect is automatically a “baby”.
Snakes, scorpions, spiders, etc. are poisonous. (They’re actually venomous)
Alpha/beta/omega wolves.
Snakes are aggressive and chase people.
Coyotes interbreed with dogs and the hybrids are particularly dangerous.
House cats are a part of the ecosystem and belong outside.
Bats are blind.
Domestic “outdoor” cats are a great replacement for natural predators.
Armadillos can curl up into a ball and roll away.
Lettuce was being altered to have “strings” (meaning the cellulose and plant vascular system).
Rice isn’t from a plant. It’s made in a factory.
Opossums have rabies and that’s why they act like they do.
Birds abandon their young if you touch them.
Baby animals are abandoned by parents and need our help.
Fish don’t feel pain. People use it as an excuse for poor handling.
Armadillos are bulletproof.
Aya ayas are ugly/freaky looking.
Cottonmouths are aggressive. It’s a common misconception to defensiveness.
Okapis are a mix between a zebra, giraffe, and an antelope.
Moss is a fungi.
Daddy long legs are the most venomous spider but their fangs are too short to bite us.
Seals are just another name for sea lions.
Evolution “chooses” the best outcome for an animal/plant.
That grizzly bear and black bear encounters should be treated differently.
People pointing to golden silk orb weavers and calling them banana spiders.
Penguins are mammals not birds because they can’t fly.
All bats drink blood.
People look at the porcupine taxidermy in the visitor center and say “oh look, a long haired beaver”.
Giraffes got long necks by stretching to reach leaves on trees.
It’s okay to feed ducks/geese bread.
Dolphins are the only other animal that has sex for fun.
Skunks can only spray once.
You should run downhill in a bear encounter so the bear “trips and rolls”.
That all animals and their effects are natural.
Once a garbage bear, always a garbage bear.
Baby snakes are more venomous than the adults.
Bulls get angry when they see the color red.
Bats get caught in people’s hair.
When nurseries call drought tolerant plants a “California native”.
Chemicals are bad.
Coyotes lure dogs into the woods to lay siege.
Ocelots are habitat specialists.
Dolphin’s sonar lets them know we’re animals by our “bones”.
Sea turtles chasing people away from their young.
A crazy myth about big old eagles disappearing to molt their beak.
Pixar showing matriarchal animals as male led.
Axolotls can make you pregnant if you swim in streams with them.
Male skunks become venomous during mating.
Bears are bloodthirsty and will heat seek to kill you.
Climate change doesn’t exist.
Peeing on a jellyfish sting. No. Just no.
Wild game isn’t safe to eat because it hasn’t been “inspected” by a butcher.
Wolves kill cattle for sport.
Gray wolves were introduced to Wisconsin by the DNR.
Pygmy rabbits were being dropped onto private land with drones.
Owls can turn their head all the way around, 360 degrees.
Bottlenose dolphins are blue. They’re only gray in captivity because of chlorine in the water.
Orcas are whales. (they’re a dolphin)
All spiders, ants, pincer bugs are venomous and out to kill.
Turkeys don’t eat insects.
Hunting has no place in conservation and it’s evil.
All venomous snakes have cat eye pupils.
Wasps have no ecological function and we should kill them.
Owls are exclusively nocturnal.
Black squirrels are different from and more aggressive than gray squirrels and are taking over their range.
Raccoons seen during the day are rabid.