Fanny Riand, graduate student in wildlife ecology, sees the potential that everyday homeowners and renters have in the grand scheme of conservation. Her thesis, focused on how urban environments can help support birds and pollinators, examines how the smallest yards can make the biggest difference.
Riand got her bachelor’s degree in biology and natural resources conservation at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. While there, she became excited about the intersection between humans and nature and how the two could coexist better. Before her senior year, she went to Idaho to work with the U.S. Forest Service, then moved to Florida after graduation for an internship at Archbold Biological Station to study the Florida scrub-jay. During this internship, she learned that understanding and working with people is the key to successful conservation.