Hi! My name is Luke Duvall and I am beyond excited to be serving as the FOMR biological research assistant this summer. I recently completed a degree in Freshwater & Terrestrial Ecology from Western Washington University and am most passionate about freshwater fisheries and riparian habitats. I cut my teeth in conservation while in high-school, serving as my green club president, volunteering for the Seattle Aquarium, and working for my local city. While most of this early conservation work was focused on public education, restoration, and connecting inspired people to meaningful work, once I entered college I fell in love with conducting field work. Some personal favorite work has been backpacking the Elwha River to study amphibian response to dam removal, rafting the grande ronde river to survey cavity nesting birds, and working as a fisheries technician in Alaska.

 

Outside of my academic and career pursuits I spend most my time creating art or being in the outdoors. I love to snowboard, rock climb, backpack and fly fish. I use the experiences I gain from these hobbies and my travels to inspire my artwork as a painter. In addition, I have a cat named Duane whom I rescued 11 years ago. He is not only extremely cute but also well trained on a leash, coming with me on both casual walks and camping trips.

 

I am excited for this position for multiple reasons. Professionally, this work will allow me to hone in on my key interests while also exposing me to a diversity of work. I see this as the perfect position to work right after graduating college and can’t wait to get to know all the amazing people on the FOMR team. More personally, I am excited to live somewhere new. Washington will always be my first love but I am excited to experience a different landscape and have new things to see and places to explore. 

 

I am deeply honored to have been offered this position and am excited to get to work. Hopefully I see you all out there!