About
Travis is a certified Wildlife Biologist based in Fairbanks, AK but works throughout the state to answer important conservation questions on rare, declining, or stewardship species. He currently works full time for the Threatened, Endangered, and Diversity (TED) Program of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Travis first discovered his love for the Arctic in 1998 while assisting his undergraduate advisor studying Peregrine Falcons in Greenland. He returned there to conduct his masters research on Gyrfalcons followed by an adventurous expedition overwintering at the summit of the Greenland Ice Sheet working for the National Science Foundation. A unique population of Gyrfalcons in Alaska drew him back to the USA for his PhD, where has has remained since 2004.
Travis enjoys the challenge of complex event planning - be it multi-month remote field camps, scientific conferences and workshops, or non-profit events. This includes being the Fairbanks Checkpoint Manager for the Yukon Quest - the world’s toughest 1,000-mile sled dog race based in Fairbanks, AK from 2014-2023. Each year, Travis organized dozens of mushers, 100 volunteers, 500+ sled dogs, and thousands of spectators to ensure the start and finish of the Yukon Quest go off without a hitch. This a perfect example of the fast-pace, complex, rapidly evolving type of event that Travis excels at.
When not working, Travis enjoys a slower-paced life while floating, camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and skiing across Alaska’s remote, wild landscapes. He believes that less is more and lives in a small cabin north of town without running water.
Diversity and Inclusion
Travis helped spark a cultural shift in the wildlife biology field when he published “I am One of You,” a commentary about his experience as a gay wildlife biologist. That led to him co-founding The Wildlife Society’s Out In The Field Initiative - a program to increase LGBTQ+ diversity, inclusion, and acceptance in the wildlife profession that he continues to engage in.
More broadly, Travis also lead a group of diversity and inclusion leaders from more than 15 professional scientific societies in North America from 2020-2022 to further advance under-represented groups in science. This allowed societies to learn from each other and cross pollinate, not only building community but also increasing the speed and efficiency of change.
“Diversity is being invited to the party.
Inclusion is being asked to dance.”
