Kristen Oliver is a proud, intelligent woman and she really enjoys working with other proud, intelligent women. That’s one of the reasons she began working for Grouse Mountain Environmental Consultants in October of 2023.
Oliver has worked in a variety of roles since completing grad school and, in those roles, she’s noticed something.
“I’ve done a lot of field research and a lot of wildlife work,” Oliver stated. “And something I’ve realized is that the leadership within the wildlife and ecology fields are often male dominated. You’re often advised by men and the women in these fields are usually in lower-level positions. So to find a company like GMEC, that has a diverse group of employees throughout the company – especially with Jenna being one of the principals of the company – as a female in science; it was really enticing for me to join this company.”
Oliver said that the job has already given her many new role models to look up to and new skills and interests within her field. Learning more about consulting and gaining new experiences is why she gravitated towards GMEC.
“My mom was a vet tech for a really long time, and often, we would raise and rehab wildlife; mostly gray squirrels in South Carolina,” she laughed. “So I kind of got introduced to animals in that capacity, and I knew that I wanted to do something with animals. As I got older, I began to learn about the field of ecology and about different ecosystems which influenced my higher education experiences. Now in this position I am finding an interest in applying those degrees and understanding how wildlife fits into the equation of our federal, state and local rules and regulations and their implementations to help protect them.”
We wanted to learn more about Kristen, so we recently sat down for a Q&A session with one of Grouse Mountain Environmental Consultant’s newest Wildlife Biologists.
How did you come to work at Grouse Mountain?
I applied to this job while working at a vet clinic as a veterinary technician, a filler position after finishing graduate school. This position looked like a good fit and a good way to gain a lot of experience if I got the job. I found the posting on Facebook and a couple of other platforms and didn’t know much about consulting, but I really liked that the company seemed to have a lot of women in higher-level positions, so I applied. After my interview, I could sense the benefits of a small company and really appreciated where they seemed to place their values, so once offered the position, I was happy to accept.
What do you do for Grouse Mountain?
I am a Wildlife Biologist for Grouse Mountain. I help assist in coordinating projects, conduct wildlife surveys, prepare reports, and analyze data for reporting.
What made you choose this career path?
After finishing my Master’s I knew I didn’t want to go into academia and was having a hard time getting interviews for state and federal positions, so I decided that consulting would be a good way to get a lot of experience and I have come to love that choice so far.
What’s your favorite part about working at Grouse Mountain?
I love how accessible all of my co-workers are and that the company really does have a small-business feel to it. I feel that Jenna and Jason make it a priority to take care of their employees and it really shows in the work environment.
I also love the field work 🙂
What’s an experience that stands out to you from working at Grouse Mountain?
Getting to travel to different places to conduct field work and getting to analyze data from a wide variety of places and species. I have only worked here since October, so I don’t have too many experiences yet; especially because the field season hasn’t started yet. But, based on the projects I have worked on so far and the stories I hear from my co-workers keep me excited.
What do you love about New Mexico?
I love the variety of ecosystems that can be found throughout NM, and the amazing outdoor recreation that comes with that. I also love the diversity of people and the rich cultural history found throughout New Mexico.
What are some of your hobbies?
Fly fishing in the Pecos River and throughout the state, hiking and camping and backpacking with my partner and our dogs, knitting and building stuff for my chickens.
What are a few fun facts about you?
I have worked for several years in Borneo, Malaysia. I was stuck there during the start of the pandemic which was a very interesting experience.
I love birds and bird banding and have been working with birds for over 10 years now.
I studied avian physiology for my masters.
I love to code and manage data.
What differentiates Grouse Mountain from its competitors?
Because Grouse Mountain is a small company, I feel we have a leg up in providing customizable services and getting to know our clients and their needs.
If you could tell readers one thing about yourself and your job, what would that be?
My job is a great balance and exercise of my degrees and getting to work with clients to explain their data and how they can avoid having adverse impacts on the wildlife in their project areas. I think this is an important and impactful position to be in and am excited to continue to learn in this job.
If you could tell readers one thing about Grouse Mountain, what would THAT be?
GMEC has a small business feel, with great quality work and wonderful hard working and passionate people. You can’t go wrong.
