I first learned about Wildlife Leadership Academy from my sister and was encouraged by my Envirothon coach to apply. Last year, I joined the Bucktails Field School, and it was one of the best ways I could have learned about local wildlife. I especially enjoyed the many professional presenters and speakers there with first-hand knowledge of botany, deer overpopulation, and community outreach. The most impactful learning moment was understanding just how widespread the problem of deer overpopulation is in Pennsylvania and knowing what can be done about it. I’ve already put my outreach goals into action by hosting a stand at my local market days this fall to educate the community about our wildlife challenges and beauty.

WLA was one of the best experiences of my summer at the Bucktails field school, and Pay It Forward will help others like me to participate in the future. At WLA, we learned the importance of working as a team, and this project is one more way that we can use our combined efforts to ensure the future of the program. Next year, I’m looking forward to doing another field school and have hopes of becoming a student mentor. Pay It Forward is a personal commitment I can make to ensuring the continuation of WLA.