Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Pendleton.
Maya, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As an Ogden native, I have spent much of my life exploring Utah’s unique ecosystems with a special interest in wetland and desert shrubland ecosystems. These experiences instilled within me a passion for ecological conservation and led me to Weber State University (WSU) where I graduated in 2016 with a major in Zoology and a minor in Botany. I continued my education at Utah State University and obtained a Master’s in Ecology in 2019. For my graduate research project, I quantified individual ecosystem functions and multifunctionality of 7 different wetland plant communities in the Great Salt Lake (GSL) in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. As part of this work, I created a system-specific avian survey protocol to assess bird diversity and habitat use, collected data on the nutritional quality of different wetland seeds to waterfowl, and measured several other habitat level functions to aid in wetland restoration. This research culminated in a first-author publication in the peer-reviewed journal Wetlands.
In addition to my Master’s research, I have worked and volunteered on many ecological research projects including my undergraduate thesis project where I studied the incubation behaviors of GSL shorebirds. I have worked for different agencies as a wildlife conservation technician with a focus on conserving non-game and sensitive species including bats, migratory birds, pygmy rabbits, and kit foxes, and assessed vegetation communities. I have also worked for SWCA Biological Consultancy as a research technician where I collaborated with different agencies to survey rare/sensitive plant populations, classify and map suitable habitats, and conduct wetland delineations.
Throughout all these experiences, I have learned how to monitor different animal/plant population dynamics, coordinate interagency collaborations on projects, form research questions, and goals, apply for and obtain permits and grants, manage project budgets, analyze data, communicate research findings, and publish research.
Throughout my career, I have always been committed to communicating science to a variety of stakeholders. I have worked as an educational outreach coordinator at Weber State University, where I taught all ages about biology, conservation, and science education through activities such as insect identification exercises, invasive weed pulls, and birding and wetland expeditions. For my Master’s research, I co-wrote a successful Extension grant to help develop research-based programs for the citizens of Utah and developed a series of educational videos that focused on the importance of the GSL. I also co-wrote a restoration plan for the Harold Crane Waterfowl Management Area that was used by the UDWR. Finally, I have presented my research in a variety of formats at local and national conferences and meetings.
I now work for the Ogden Nature Center, a small nature preserve in the heart of Ogden. I am thrilled that I can be working in my home community and am excited to help restore and protect one of the few patches of natural habitat that exist within the city. Currently, I focus on managing the newly incoming water rights of the ONC, managing the beaver populations, conducting water quality surveys, managing and restoring the habitat, conducting bird surveys, and much more. We are currently working on starting up a bird banding station at ONC and we also just got funding to add in a new pollinator garden to help protect and restore pollinator habitat. I also aspire to continue to add new projects and new wildlife surveys to the Ogden Nature Center.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The wildlife biologist/ecologist world is, in itself, a real challenge. You have to pursue advanced degrees to really get anywhere that has a stable position and pays decent, which equates to a lot of schooling and a lot of time living off of small stipends. The pay is terrible, the hours are long and it is extremely competitive. You have to be dedicated to staying in the game long enough to build yourself a reputation and your work skills so that you can try to find a permanent job somewhere. Otherwise, it’s all field and technician jobs that end after a certain amount of time and leave you looking for another job but with only so few openings in the professional world, It’s hard to find a job or a graduate program in the area that you want and in the location that you want. That being said it’s the best profession in the world and I wouldn’t have done it any other way.
When I was in my second year of graduate school, working on my Master’s degree, my father was diagnosed with an extremally aggressive brain tumor, a glioblastoma in the center of his brain, and one week later he passed. This was an extremely difficult time for me as my father and I were the closest of friends and it completely came out of nowhere, a real blindside. The grief was strong and I thought of taking a break from my degree and returning at a later time to finish it but I knew that what would really make my dad proud is if I stuck with it and finished it to the end. So that’s what I did, I stuck with it and four months later I had a degree in hand and a publication on the way. He was a real inspiration to me and oddly helped me to cross the finish line strong, even in light of the circumstances.
One challenge I have right now is finding a way to peacefully coexist with the beaver populations that; live at the Ogden Nature Center, where I work. They are intelligent animals that can cause issues with flooding and downing trees however they are an invaluable tool against drought and climate change and I am committed to working with them, not against them. But I think they might be smarter than me…
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work has primarily focused on studying and conserving wildlife and wildlife habitats across the western United States. I have worked in wetland research as an undergraduate and graduate student with a focus on the Great Salt Lake wetlands. During my research, I studied the incubation behaviors of black-necked stilts and during my masters, I quantified ecosystem services (nutrient and heavy metal sequestration, carbon and nitrogen stocks of soils and plant biomass, seed nutrition, and bird diversity and habitat use) of different wetland habitat types. After my research, I was a wildlife technician for multiple entities including the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the National Park Service, and SWCA environmental consultants.
During my time as a wildlife technician, I mostly focused on studying birds and bats although I have done quite a bit of rare plant and habitat surveys as well. I am most passionate about bird and bat conservation as far as wildlife goes and I have loved working with them on a multitude of projects, Now, I work for a nature conservancy in my hometown, a preserve that I know and grew up visiting. It is a critical piece of habitat in an ever-developing city. I am an ecologist and it is my responsibility to manage the land. This entitles everything from habitat restoration, weed management, wildlife surveys, and beaver management to managing our newly purchased water shares. The position is new to me as well as the preserve itself so it has been a ton of fun getting to shape the position and decide which way I want to take things. It has been a real learning experience and is only strengthening my skills and abilities to help maintain a healthy and functioning ecosystem in the heart of Ogden.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
The thing I love most about Ogden is how it is the best in the world. It is small enough to not have too many people and the traffic isn’t insane yet it’s big enough to have a fun nightlife, plenty of restaurants, and some good bars. It also has an amazing history back to the 1920s and even before as a central travel hub in the United States thanks to the Union Station. It is tucked right against the Wasatch Front and I can be on any trail in less than 10 minutes I am surrounded by beautiful river walkways on both the Ogden and Weber Rivers where I can also ride my bike. Not to mention all of the ski resorts to the east and the most gorgeous Great Salt Lake and its wetlands to the west, it is literally perfectly surrounded by all the best things.
The thing I like least is how expensive it’s getting to live here and how richer people keep moving in and making it unaffordable for all the people who grew up here and work here, they may never be able to afford a house. I also dislike how many condo buildings are going up, they are crowding the place and blocking the view of the mountains everywhere I turn.
