Hello DRWI-ers!
For those whom I have not had the opportunity to meet directly, I’m Will Ryan, Restoration Ecologist and Research Botanist in the Patrick Center for Environmental Research at the Academy of Natural Sciences, in Philadelphia. My path of employment in the environmental sciences has spanned nearly two decades, evolving from assisting with wetland research on
Phragmites along the New Jersey bayshore to managing ecologically significant natural areas in the Northeast region. I have been involved with the DRWI for nearly five years in different capacities, and am excited to see Phase 2 underway! It was a pleasure to meet new people and continue to work with many of you in the past year and a half as planning was underway – all the hard work has paid off! I, too, am starting a new phase of my professional career, having just completed a doctoral program in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology. My research was focused on assessing the effects of various stewardship techniques on rare plant communities in serpentine barrens – globally rare ecosystems found primarily on the Piedmont of northeastern Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania.
In addition to my work on the DRWI, which will continue through the next three years assessing terrestrial habitats in land protection project areas, I am involved with several other projects. I serve as the P.I. on a year-long effort to create a habitat management plan for the Wissahickon Valley Park – the country’s largest urban park. This exciting work involves working closely with City of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, who is charged directly with the park’s management, and Friends of the Wissahickon, a nearly 100-year-old environmental advocacy group focused specifically on conserving the ecological integrity of the Wissahickon Valley. This work involves environmental planning, ecological field investigation, data collection and management, and science communication – all activities I enjoy. Further up the watershed, I am the P.I. on a two-year project focused on establishing baseline terrestrial and aquatic conditions in the Whitemarsh Valley, between Fort Washington State Park and Morris Arboretum. The goals of the project lie primarily in identifying stressors affecting water quality and biological communities in the valley, including point and non-point pollutants to the streams, the effects of flooding, and land uses upstream. Both projects are highly collaborative and offer great circumstances for team-building here at the Academy, while continuing to help build our science capacity in the realm where water meets the land.
My other research interests lie in the further exploration of understudied plant communities in the Mid-Atlantic region. I have recently accepted a position on the Ecological Communities Technical Committee of the Pennsylvania Biological Survey. This is an exciting new opportunity for me to continue to be a part of decision-making and brainstorming to the benefit of our continually threatened floral and faunal heritage.
I sincerely hope to get a chance to chat with you in the coming months as DRWI Phase 2 rolls out. I am personally excited to get out in the field to continue this momentous environmental work in the Delaware River Basin.
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Will Ryan, Ph.D.
