When I pressed Gabrielson about why she chose to study in Alaska, she told me it was all about the fusion of various ecosystems. “This giant wetland, the glaciers behind us, the mountains, the landscape, what it does over the course of a season, over the course of a year is really amazing… that is constantly bringing me back because I feel like I’m constantly learning".”

Melissa Gabrielson, a USFS wildlife biologist, specializes in the inner works of waterfowl and shorebird migration. She has been the lead scientist on the Copper River Delta’s only long term study on migratory birds, the Dusky Geese Nest Island Monitoring project, for three years as of 2016.

We stopped so Gabrielson could show me what Elodea, an invasive plant species to Alaska, looks like up close. In this moment, I caught a glimpse of her tattoos, tiny foot prints of water fowl species Gabrielson has worked on in the past, that she keeps record of on her forearm.

Her study consists of bringing a team of scientists out onto the delta for a weekend to travel from pond to pond, checking man-made nest islands for signs of life from the Dusky Geese population that migrates to the delta each summer.

An abandoned egg shell provides evidence to the team that at least one nest has been used to the full extent of it’s purpose. While she inspects, Gabrielson looks for these kinds of cues to evaluate whether the nests have been successful during mating season.

Gabrielson is sure not to miss a beat when it comes to inspection, to better serve the bird populations that use the nest island as a nesting site.

The delta is a wild and unruly ecosystem, so each Forest Service team must carry a bear gun and bear spray with them throughout the day, in case of an unexpected encounter. Gabrielson lays down her gun before grabbing a Snickers, her favorite fuel source to snack on while out in the field.

The easiest way to navigate the shallow waters on the Copper River Delta, especially during low tide, is via air boat. But Gabrielson and her crew can only take them so far into the Delta before the mission must be completed via “poke boat”.

Rescue coats and life jackets are hung up to dry among the storage shack at the Dusky Geese Base camp. Traveling by air boat during the rainy season often leaves researchers soaked after a day in the field.

“Poke boats”, which resemble kayaks, are the transportation method of choice when it comes to hoping from pond to pond. Field technicians and researchers drag these boats through all kinds of terrain as they hike and paddle miles through out the Delta in search of nest islands.

Navigating the field is tough on the body and the mind, but Gabrielson finds joy in her work through the interactions she has with nature and her team. Here, her and an Matt Prinzing, a wildlife intern she has been mentoring, battle it out to see who gets the shortest route in the last section of a long survey day.

Gabrielson’s team, consists about seven people, who after a long days in the field, gather in the kitchen tent to eat dinner, consult about the day’s work, and tell ghost stories. “The people we bring in, the interns, all the seasonals, it’s amazing to see their passion, to see where they’re coming from, to learn what they’re about, and then to help mentor that… to help push them in the right directions”.

Inside the kitchen back at base camp, the Dusky Geese team keep track of each individual nest island’s location, so that no site goes unchecked.