Return to People behind the Eagles Profile of Amy Alfieri     Amy’s resume is extremely eclectic. She started her environmental career as an intern at the Vermont Raptor Center in 1996. After graduating from Hampshire College with a degree in Environmental Studies focusing in Ornithology in 1997, she saved money working as a waitress and drove across the country. After 2 weeks in Los Angeles and a week in Baja California, Amy ended up in Portland, OR. After six weeks, she returned to Vermont until offered a position with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) as a field biologist at Fire Island National Seashore in February 1999 where she studied endangered shorebirds and plants. What started as a 6-month position turned into a 4-year way of life: when her 6 months with SCA ended, she accepted a job as a park ranger for the Seashore and continued that position for 3 years. Her final position with the National Park Service involved monitoring and collecting mosquitoes along the island. After spending hours boating around the Great South Bay and trudging through salt marshes in Tyvek suits, she bowed out of the park service and returned to Vermont to earn her MS degree in Conservation Biology from Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, NH. Meanwhile, Amy worked for Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation monitoring and controlling aquatic invasive species which resulted in more hours in boats and more mosquitoes.     Amy is a 2005 recipient of the National Garden Club’s Advanced Scholarship for her work in conservation. Much of her graduate experience has involved small mammals and herpetofauna, meanwhile she completing a trail map for the Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington, VT which is accessible on their website. Amy has also served as a teaching assistant for the University of Vermont’s field ornithology class, assisted in the field with the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, and conducted waterfowl banding at Mississquoi National Wildlife Refuge throughout her graduate school tenure. Amy is currently completing her graduate thesis on snakes and serving her second year as hack site coordinator for VBERI. She is thrilled for the opportunity to participate in this project and excited at the level of commitment from all involved – community, staff, media, and partners alike: “I have learned so much from watching everyone involved in this project and from participating in it myself. It is amazing to be able to work with such a diverse group of people, and to watch those eagles take their first flight into the Vermont sky is… amazing!”     Amy grew up in Vermont and despite her periodic adventures in other parts of the country, she always returns to here and considers it home. She currently resides in Burlington and in her limited free time, she enjoys outdoor activities such as gardening, hiking, running, biking, and anything else that gets her out – even if it involves mosquitoes. She also serves as a community mentor, and enjoys contra dancing, playing her fiddle, and winning at board games. Terms of Use - Copyright 2009 Central Vermont Public Service Copyright photos CVPS, Floyd Scholz U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife Web related issues