What is your favorite part of your job?
My job is a mission. We are helping local land managers be better stewards of the environment. We are training local land managers and young Americans how to conduct conservation research. We are exploring incredible landscapes and creating intimate memories with wilderness. We are forming lifelong relationships.
Local kayakers explore Baker River in Chile
Describe a typical day at work.
We are usually camping, so I'd wake up in my tent, go have breakfast with our team of students, fellow instructors, and partner park rangers, get ready for a day of field work, lead a research activity, have lunch in the field overlooking some beautiful somewhere, come back to camp and teach class, help out with dinner, play cards or music in the evening, and then read in my tent before going to sleep.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
Logistics are a huge challenge as we move our team, all of our gear, and our partners into remote locations. Endurance is also a challenge, as we have 90 days of camping, hiking, and putting up with each other!
Round River participants on top of the Bernardo Glacier in Chile
What are some current projects you are working on?
We are working with the Chilean Forestry Service to track and census the population of the endangered huemul deer in Chile's largest national park. We are training the municipality of a small town to manage a protected area that falls under its jurisdiction, we are counting the guanaco and rhea populations of the Patagonia National Park, and we are taking local kids on their first trips to go camping and see glaciers.
What makes Round River special?
Round River is a small, flexible organization that values effective conservation measures. We follow our philosophy and act in our best efforts to accomplish our goals rather than to follow guidelines. We are made up of individuals who believe in our mission and work as a team.
Why should someone choose Round River over competitors?
Round River has passionate individuals who believe in our work. We are focussed on creating the best opportunity for each student we take on, and to teach them about life, travel, conservation philosophy, and being a good human, as well as the hard research skills and natural history from our syllabi.
Round River participants work with endangered huemul deer in Patagonia
What makes Round River easy to market to potential participants?
Round River works in some of the most beautiful, most remote, and desirable locations on earth. We give our students powerful experiences doing real research projects.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I hope our students learn how to be adaptable, learn how to be part of a new community. Our students learn how to work together as a team, and how to adjust and communicate their needs. I hope our students learn how to prioritize relationships and experiences over credentials and expectations.
How do you help support participants?
I try to be an open and encouraging person, letting students know they can trust me to help them overcome their internal and external challenges. I lead by example in taking care of our group's needs cooking, cleaning, and organizing, and I help them adjust to and relate in the Patagonian culture.
Camping on glaciers in Patagonia with Round River
What questions do participants often ask you, and how do you typically respond?
Our students always ask "What's the plan?" and sometimes I have one and sometimes it doesn't matter because we are at the behest of the weather and our partners, and often our partners do not live in a structured, planned out way. Most participants also ask about certain gear requirements and specifics and my answer to both is usually the same: you'll figure it out.
What hopes do you have for the future of international education?
I hope more and more young people make trips to foreign cultures to learn about different perspectives in the world and to learn about what parts of themselves ring true in new settings, and that more and more people from less powerful areas are able to explore the world as well.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travelers discover authentic experiences with real people. They make friendships more than bookings, and they search for self-discovery more than luxury.
