Personal destacado: Eric Ross (él), analista de SIG

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agosto 26, 2024

Posted in: Personas y lugares

Eric viene de trabajar en Sacramento como administrador de datos, centrado principalmente en un contrato con el Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de Estados Unidos. En esta función, Eric desarrolló herramientas para recopilar datos en el campo, automatizó el análisis y la presentación de informes de datos de campo y apoyó la toma de decisiones de conservación en 50 refugios nacionales de vida silvestre, entre otras tareas. A Eric le apasiona la ciencia ciudadana y pasó un tiempo en Maryland trabajando en un proyecto de ciencia ciudadana que documentaba las observaciones históricas de migración de aves de 1880-1970.

Antes de trabajar en los puestos descritos anteriormente, Eric estudió Ciencias Ambientales en la CSU Monterey Bay y Ecología de Vida Silvestre en la Universidad de Wisconsin en Madison.

What’s your favorite Sonoma County place to get outside and why? 
I’m a relatively new transplant to the county (moved in 2021), so I feel like I’m still in the exploring phase of seeing everything this wonderful area has to offer. For now, my favorite place has been Spring Lake. My (now) wife and I would walk around it often when we were first getting to know each other and now I push our daughter around in her stroller there every week. It’s just a lovely place to enjoy the mix of natural areas, wildlife, and people/dog watching.

What’s one fact, statistic, or interesting tidbit about land conservation that you enjoy sharing with others?
I will always champion and share how powerful citizen science projects can be. These are programs where members of the public contribute to science, often through submitting observations of what they’re seeing while they’re out already enjoying the outdoors. As an example, eBird, a program where you submit bird observations, now gets 2 million check-lists submitted a month. That volume of information available is wild and can be such a powerful tool for research, conservation, and management.

What’s your proudest moment working in land conservation and why? 
As someone whose job is often working at the computer, I think my proudest moments were the times I could make life significantly easier for the folks going into the field. Our national wildlife refuge system is such a gem and any instance where I could free up time for refuge managers by making maps, running statistics, or automating a report, was time they could then use to manage the priceless resources they watch over.

What compelled you to pick a career in land conservation? 
I grew up loving the outdoors, especially birds, thanks to my mom and the beautiful area I grew up in (Los Osos, near Morro Bay/San Luis Obispo), where we went birdwatching often until she passed away when I was a teenager. Meanwhile, my dad and brother were big computer nerds. When it came time to think about a career, I found my path by exploring the area where technology and the natural world meet. After working in Monterey Bay, Kansas, Nova Scotia, Wisconsin, Maryland, and most recently Sacramento, I am ecstatic to find myself here with Ag + Open Space!

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor and why? 
I never outgrew my love for rainbow sherbet, although anything tart or citrusy is usually a winner.