Will Ekin
Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Big Pine Key, Florida
My name is Will Ekin. I am currently a sophomore attending North Kitsap High School in Poulsbo, Washington. I am participating in the Youth Ambassador Program, working as a volunteer for the National Key Deer Refuge, located on Big Pine Key and No Name Key in the Florida Keys. I have grown up in the Northwest; constantly outside fishing, hunting and just loving the fresh air. This past January, I traveled to the Florida Keys for almost two weeks to study the impact of sea level rise. I collected data on mangrove seedlings, along with placing a permanent monitoring program to observe long-term changes to coastal ecosystems. I plan to travel to the Keys at least twice more this year to continue my research, working in the field, and setting up social networking for the refuge.
