Charley is a consulting ecologist who conducts plant and wildlife surveys and natural resource inventories for various nonprofits, state agencies, and universities throughout New England. He is the lead author of the field guide Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates, which won a National Outdoor Book Award, the e-book Leafminers of North America, and the insect blog BugTracks. He has published nearly 80 scientific papers, including the description of 78 new insect species. In 2024, he was awarded a $100,000 Maxwell/Hanrahan Award in Field Biology.

As the Wildlands Ecologist at Northeast Wilderness Trust, Shelby is in charge of the long-term care of nearly 80,000 acres of wilderness across six states. She also selects and justifies new projects. On any given day, she might be in the field collecting data for an ecological report on a property NEWT is working to conserve in southern New Hampshire, monitoring a wilderness preserve in the mountains of Maine, plotting ways to close ecologically sensitive areas to public access in an Adirondack preserve, or writing monitoring reports at her desk in central Vermont.

Peter is the Global Director of Natural Climate Solutions Science for The Nature Conservancy. He leads a team of scientists who conduct research to inform the design and implementation of nature-based strategies for mitigating climate change. For example, he investigates the climate and biodiversity impacts of forest management, and he's working with field programs in Indonesia, Mexico, Gabon, and elsewhere to measure the climate performance of reduced-impact logging. Peter is trained as a field forester, forest ecologist, botanist, and geospatial scientist, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Gabon, Africa.

Nathaly is the Deputy Climate Resilience Officer for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. She and her team implement statewide resilience policy and programs related to sea-level rise and other climate impacts. Although she rarely has the chance to use her field skills on the job, the socioecological component of the curriculum (the former Ecological Planning track, now part of the FN Program) remains invaluable. She is dedicated to building healthy and resilient communities, diversifying the environmental movement, and accelerating equity and environmental justice action.

As an Environmental Scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Julia leads an effort to develop a Conservation Strategy for the Sierra Nevada red fox. Unlike its familiar eastern cousin, this elusive carnivore lives in remote mountain wildernesses, and only two small and isolated populations remain in the state. Julia splits her time between debating management recommendations with an advisory team of 25 scientists and skiing over alpine passes to deploy cameras for occupancy surveys. She is ever hopeful for a glimpse of that characteristic white-tipped tail.

Chris is an ecologist and educator in Puerto Rico working in tropical forest ecology, social-ecological systems, and environmental education. As the Lead Scientist with the Friends of El Yunque Foundation, he directs El Yunque National Forest's Citizen Science Vegetation Monitoring Project and collaborates with non-profits, governmental, and academic organizations as well as local communities to promote conservation stewardship and ecological literacy. He's also leading efforts to establish Puerto Rico as a Regional Center of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development. Through his work, Chris aims to promote holistic and regenerative relations between people and place.

Neahga is Director of the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project on an island in Vietnam, aimed at saving one of the world’s most endangered animals, the Cat Ba langur — fewer than 70 of these primates remain — as well as protecting the biodiversity of the archipelago. His exciting, albeit sometimes exhausting, job involves convincing ex-hunters to join anti-poaching teams, helping to draft national legislation, establishing environmental education programs in local schools, encouraging local politicians to promote sustainable development, providing support for national park rangers, and conducting field work to monitor the langurs and the many other imperiled species endemic to the region.

As the Natural Community Ecologist for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Bob conducts state-wide inventories of natural communities and identifies opportunities to protect biodiverse, landscape-scale features, such as large habitat blocks and wildlife corridors. He works with landowners and the general public to conserve important natural communities and reviews development projects to minimize environmental impacts. In his previous role at the state, he helped develop Vermont Conservation Design, a comprehensive scientific vision for an intact, connected, and diverse natural landscape that guides the the state and other conservation organizations.

Becky is Regional Director of Mass Audubon’s west region. She oversees 19 wildlife sanctuaries and all programming and partnerships, doing everything from land protection and habitat management to education and strategic planning. Some of her most rewarding projects have been interdisciplinary collaborations that engage new audiences in conservation work, such as with Tanglewood, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and The Mount (Edith Wharton's estate). Natural history, problem-solving, fundraising, creative thinking and lots of other Field Naturalist skills have converged in Becky's multifaceted career in the best possible way.