Blog & News

May 23rd, 2024

Featured Ecologist: Jessica Druze

Who or what inspired you to become an ecologist?

While I did spend some time outdoors growing up in suburban New Jersey, my inspiration to become an ecologist was sparked by seeing images of breath-taking landscapes and diverse wildlife from around the world on the internet and on television. I was so amazed by the diversity of habitats and wildlife that were so different from what I grew up seeing, and I knew I had to experience these places firsthand. From there, I became more inquisitive about nature and how it all works together. Over time, I took advantage of educational and volunteer opportunities and worked my way up to achieving the dreams I manifested. The joy nature brings me fuels my desire to protect it forever to ensure that future generations can enjoy it just as much as I do.

 

What are you most looking forward to in your role? Why?

In my role as Associate Coastal Ecologist, I am most looking forward to being able to expand our ecological services into my home state of New Jersey. It is important to me to focus on conserving and restoring wildlife habitats that are vital to numerous species on the East Coast, particularly in a highly developed state like New Jersey. My ultimate goal is to help find and implement solutions where both humans and wildlife can thrive while ensuring that New Jersey can support a diverse range of species for the long term.

 

What is a typical day like for you at work?

Since I work remotely, a typical day at work for me is usually spent conducting ecological research or writing reports and environmental permit applications (with my 9-month-old puppy by my side, of course). In the past, I spent a lot of time in the field conducting surveys for threatened and endangered species or delineating wetlands. In my free time, you can usually find me birding or working in my garden. I hope to be able to spend more time in the field with Great Ecology!

 

If you had free reign and unlimited resources, what environmental issue would you most like to tackle?

This might be the hardest question for an ecologist to answer! Besides restoring all of the habitats for wildlife to thrive on and going back to living off the land, with free reign and unlimited resources I would definitely choose to tackle issues causing climate change. Climate change has significant overarching effects on species and habitats worldwide and will continue to put more at risk if rising emission levels are not addressed. With free reign and unlimited resources, I would create super-efficient solar panels and install them on every parking lot, building, and housing structure, allowing the entire world to run on renewable energy. Also, I would create a recycling program for solar panels that are no longer functioning properly.

 

What do you think the future of ecology will look like?

I think the future of ecology will focus on implementing nature-based solutions by restoring abandoned or degraded properties to conserve the habitats we have left. Additionally, I believe a major focus in ecology will be finding ways to conserve and enhance biodiversity while simultaneously developing sustainable solutions through renewable energy projects.

 

Do you have any advice for people considering a career as an ecologist?

Although this field can be competitive and difficult at times, we need more ecologists to protect our natural world. Don’t give up on your dreams of becoming an ecologist, persistence is key. Also, never stop learning!