The IWJV Team sends our best wishes and sincere thanks to our first ever student employee, Megan Delamont, who graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana (UM) this month.

Originally from Hudson, Colorado, Megan developed an appreciation for the outdoors and wildlife while on camping trips with her family and serving as a backpacking guide for the Boy Scouts of America. Growing up on a small farm, Megan was surrounded by horses, chickens, and goats, as well as dogs, cats, and birds. As a student at UM, she was exposed to field work, quantitative ecology, and hunting. A volunteer position with the UM Avian Science Center (ASC) led her to the student employee opportunity with the IWJV. Through a partnership with the UM ASC, the IWJV hired Megan in the fall of 2018 to assist with an array of tasks including GIS maps, graphic design, databases, and communications–including this article about a Private Lands Wildlife Biologist in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. Also during her time with the IWJV, Megan learned about and interacted with a variety of conservation-minded organizations and individuals through participation in partnership meetings, field tours, and most recently, a Management Board meeting.

“The first thing I learned during my time with the IWJV is that collaboration is a key part of conservation,” Megan said. “When we combine knowledge and resources, we have a better chance of success.”

Megan also spent time volunteering in a genetics lab at UM and assisted with a Mexican spotted owl monitoring project during the summer of 2019. This led her to complete her senior thesis on Flammulated Owl occupancy in the Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service. Now that she has graduated, Megan is planning to pursue opportunities both in the lab and in the field–but remains open to any interesting opportunities that might be around the corner.