Introductions

Greetings!

I'm Ben and you've stumbled across my personal webpage! As a first post, I'd like to introduce myself.

Professionally, I am a trained aquatic ecologist (think lake and stream scientist) and I currently work for Tetra Tech - a large environmental consulting firm. I'm located in Vermont, but work on projects throughout the nation. At Tetra Tech, I work on many contracted projects for state agencies (like the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and tribal nations. My main focus is on what are called "Clean Water Act Support" projects which are pretty diverse from client to client but ultimately support the objectives of the U.S. Clean Water Act. Below are a few photos of me and my colleagues "in the field", but normally I'm at my desk analyzing data to build models and support policy decision-making.

Personally, I have a wide range of hobbies that include outdoor sports and indoor activities. However, there are a few hobbies that I'm pretty obsessed about and will talk your ear off about if you let me:

• Gardening - In 2024, I became a Vermont Extension Master Gardener which demonstrates my commitment to gardening. I got into gardening during the pandemic, spent countless hours learning on YouTube, and hit the ground running by converting my backyard into a miniature vegetable farm. Now - I've diversified as I'm growing more annual flowers. Next year, I plan to grow some herbs and flowers I can use for tisanes (not tea - learn the difference, haha) and maybe some syrups!
• Gravel cycling - Vermont has more gravel roads than paved roads, and so, when I got into biking, this was the natural fit. An ideal day is to ride a winding gravel road on a cool, sunny, autumn morning, tree-lined with shades of orange, yellow, and red, to some not so far off bakery.
• Nordic skiing - Otherwise known as cross-country skiing, my favorite winter activity is to get outside and go for a long ski through forest trails. I find it an intense workout, and am improving year after year, but also a calming activity akin to meditation. Nothing beats the silence of the forest broken by the glide of the skis or a nearby owl's hoot.
• Sauna - Nordic themes seem to occupy my life as I'm a "sauna enthusiast". Coming from the Midwest, where many families have Germanic and Scandinavian heritage, saunas were quite common. My undergraduate university even had one in the men's gym! Yet, here in the Northeast, they are relatively uncommon and only are available at boutique spas. So, I decided to build one in my backyard! Remember the garden? Well, let's just say my backyard isn't much for grass anymore. Now, I can sauna all winter long and jump in a plunge pool in the backyard.

Anyway, that's probably enough information for you for now. I hope you stick around and read whatever else I've posted since this first post.

Cheers!