Tyler Fielstra EVST ‘25 Received Multiple Fellowships to Fund his Summer Research

“I spent 10 weeks with various staff at the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (the Conservancy) performing many tasks indicative of a high-performing land trust. With a specific focus on land stewardship, I had expected to simply perform my role as “restoration technician” to the best of my abilities. I grew in so many ways academically and professionally, but most of all in the sense that I have a wealth of interdisciplinary knowledge and life experience to draw from for well-informed dialogs with staff, volunteers, and donors. Having started on this journey after suffering a spinal cord injury and subsequent shutdown of my 20-year-old contracting company, I knew I wanted (or, rather, needed) a vocation that involved a decent amount of outdoor work that also involved being a good steward of the environment. Where I had been apprehensive about how to marry such things into a vocation, this experience demonstrated that my dream is no longer a theoretical pursuit.”

Fellowships awarded: Wendy E. Blanning Memorial Summer Fellowship | Summer Environmental Fellowship |  Timothy Dwight Chubb Student Fellowship

Tyler Fielstra EVST ‘25 

Eli Whitney Student