I traveled across the United States as a seasonal wildlife biology technician for a total of five years in two stints over a span of ten years. I mostly worked with birds, but I did a few seasons with reptiles and small mammals. The conditions I faced were challenging; I lived in a tent (i.e. without electricity and running water) for months at a time and in those days, sleeping in a camper was luxurious. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for me to drive from coast to coast in four days to get to a new job. The work suited me very well and provided some of the most enriching experiences of my life.

I created Field Tech Forum to be the community I wish I’d had during that amazing period of my life. My hope is for this community to be a place where biology technicians can connect, share stories from the field and the road, and support each other on their journeys. I’ll be sharing some of my stories on the blog, while visitors can interact through the forum. I invite you to take some time to hear about this unusual lifestyle and participate and what I hope will be lively and upbeat conversation about the life of a field tech and a variety of other topics.