Garrett Wilkerson
Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge
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| Garrett at a football game. Photo from his Facebook. |
My name is Garrett Wilkerson and I am the Youth Ambassador for Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge located in Monroe, Louisiana. I was born July 15, 1991 in Monroe, but have lived across the scenic Ouachita River in West Monroe my whole life. I graduated from West Monroe High School in May 2010 and will be attending the University of Louisiana at Monroe beginning in August 2010. I will be pursuing a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. I am choosing Biology as a major because I have always been fascinated by the natural world that surrounds us, and I want to interact with it on a daily basis. On the weekends, I can be found out in the woods or on some body of water, often times fishing. I plan to one day be a wildlife biologist, and, hopefully, I can land a job with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service!
Garrett Featured in a National Publication
An article in the November/December 2010 issue of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's national publication, Refuge Update, features Garrett and his work with the Youth Ambassador Program. Refuge Update is available in print as well as online. To request a free a print copy, contact Bill O'Brian. You may also download a PDF or read the full article online in the Youth Ambassador Blog.
"Blogging From the Bayou" opening paragraphs:
As soon as wildlife refuge specialist Brittany Petersen saw Garrett Wilkerson’s application, she knew the search for Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge’s first youth ambassador was over. The 19-year-old had it all.
He wrote a persuasive essay. He was his high school class of 2010 valedictorian. He came recommended by his biology club faculty adviser. He was savvy about new social media. He was entering the University of Louisiana at Monroe as a bio major. He had lived near the northern Louisiana refuge all his life. And, in the grand tradition of his home state, he loved to hunt, fish and be outdoors.
“There was no need to look much further,” says Petersen.
Continue reading the article online in the Youth Ambassador Blog...
Garrett's Flickr Photostream
