Caitlin “Buttercup”

Caitlin “Buttercup”

Turned 26 on island in June

Hometown: Ypsilanti, Michigan near Ann Arbor

Education: Associates degree in Liberal Arts from Oakland Community College, BS in Aviation Flight Technology with a minor in Business from Eastern Michigan University

Jobs on the island: Turtle Survey, Marine Survey, Garden

What do you do on the island for fun?

I like to read, sit at Corner Beach having the water hit my feet while I sit in my chair, snorkel, and sit in Hidey Hole and watch turtles. I spend a lot of time at the Internet Café talking to my family and my best friend, bake bread, scream when geckos climb up my leg, and attempt to slack line. I take a ton of pictures. The folks here say I take creeper photos because they find out later that I have taken photos of them and they didn’t know it. I write a daily journal every night, which is now well over hundred fifty pages typed single-spaced and over 110,000 worlds. I, of course, write these blogs so that the family can see what I am doing and hopefully inspire those who read it to follow their dreams.

Why did you apply for the job?

The job description sounded amazing. It is in a crazy and great location. Guys, I’m on a beautiful remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s 85-90 degrees and sunny every day. Another reason I wanted this job was because of the length of field time.
Lots of other jobs require a year of field work before you can apply.
Many of the other jobs I applied for were only two to four months long. This one is eight! Plus, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This island is owned by the U.S. Army and maintained by the Fish and Wildlife Service. You couldn’t come here if you wanted to. It is closed to the public. I would have never been able to come here if I didn’t get this job. In the end, I was not in a happy place in my life doing aviation things. It was fine and all and it paid well and I was really good at it. But I didn’t feel like I was doing my part for the world. I want to help animals. And here I am helping to restore the breeding and nesting grounds of many species of birds that need help. And I feel great doing it!

What do you hope to get out of island?

I want to learn as much as possible during this whole experience.
Whether it is more information on different species of birds, fish, turtles, ants, or research and survey operating procedures . . . I want to know it all. I really like that the crew is from all over the country and that I can learn from them as well. We are constantly asking each other questions. This is experience is going to look great on my resume. It will open doors for me for more conservation jobs. While I was applying for this job and others like it, I kept running into an experience problem. No one wanted to hire me because I have never done something like this before. Well, now I have. Give me a job other conservation people . . . please. Another thing I hope to get from the island is peace. One, to learn more about myself and maybe discover something new. And two, it is so nice to not have a thousand people in my view at one time. It’s going to be scary when I get back home.

What’s next for Caitlin?

I want to apply to Oregon State University to get a bachelor’s in Fisheries and Wildlife. They offer a second bachelor’s program which will be great not to have to take GenEds. OSU also does a lot of research, so there will be lots of opportunities of me to further my experience. They have a master’s program for either wildlife or fish conservation management, and they have a Ph.D program as well. Not sure how far I want to go with school, but I know my career has to be something that helps animals. During this experience I have already met two extremely successful people who attended OSU and hold a BS in Fisheries and Wildlife. I feel that this a great sign. I can’t wait to be extremely successful myself!

What do you miss most from home?

My puppies, thunderstorms, organic produce, homemade kombucha tea, drive-in movie theatre.

What movie came out while on island that you can’t wait to see when you get home?

Expendables 3

If you could either fart melodies or produce multicolored burps, which would you choose?

Fart melodies

What are your family and friends not missing about you?

My mood swings

Katrina “Red Leader”

Katrina “Red Leader”

Turning 28 on island in December

Hometown: Maynard, Massachusetts near Boston

Education: AAS in Illustration, BS in Environmental Science and a minor in
Literature, MS Environmental Science from Rochester Institute of Technology. Thesis: Comparison of Geochemical and Biological Characteristics of Natural and Constructed
Freshwater Wetlands in Western New York

Jobs on the island: Team Leader. This includes data management, coordinating
with Honolulu, GIS mapping, and creating schedules

What do you do on the island for fun?

Most of the time Katrina can be found reading while drinking either her water, coffee, or Gatorade. Lately she has delved into knitting and helped host an island yarn party. She is really into her camera. It’s a nice one. She even has an underwater housing for it. She likes to take artsy fartsy photos – like close up ones of fish, and
ants, and flowers, and birds. She likes to go “nature creepin’” as she puts it. You can
check out her photo blog here: katrinascheiner.tumblr.com She is also a phenomenal
artist. She does watercolor and sketching. She is often found in the snorkeling group
and the late night movie watching crew. Katrina enjoys puttering about and lurking.
Katrina is also a bit accident prone and has many scrapes including one on her side from
falling off the Sea Wall. And you know when she is in dislike of something when she
starts to hiss at it, like when I try and take a picture of her.

Why did you apply for the job?

Katrina thought, “This looks fun” when she first saw the job posting online. While
reading the job description, she noticed the birds first and then the ants (she has a
background working with birds). And living in Hawaii for a month wasn’t exactly a
turnoff. It was just an added bonus when she found out it was a paid position.

What do you hope to get out of island?

She wants to learn about and see new birds on the island and get experience working with new species in a different environment. She wants to have fun. It is nice for her that
the internet isn’t controlling her life here. It is hard to access and she doesn’t mind
skipping it altogether. It is more chill here on the island and Katrina is a fan of a
more chill lifestyle.

What’s next for Katrina?

She has been moving to a new place every 6-9 months and often finds seasonal and temporary
positions in this line of work. She is not sure if she wants a job after this right away
or maybe do some traveling, as she often gets restless after staying in one place for too
long. Ideally, she wants to get paid to play outside. You know, so she won’t starve to
death. She still doesn’t know what she wants to do when she grows up, but Katrina wants to
“help save the world, do good things, live a good life, be mindful of environment, and
spread that message as much as possible.”

What do you miss most from home?

Her Noodle (dog, real name Watson!). Having the opportunity to see and interact with
friends. Nice cold beer. Fresh fruit and veggies.
Variable weather, like snow and temperature differences between night and day.

Would you rather stub your toes every time you walk or get a paper cut every time you touched anything?

Stub my toes, hands down. I hate paper cuts.

Would you rather be a naked mole rat or sasquatch?

Naked mole rat. Don’t like having hair in my face.

What snack food best describes you?

Sweet and Salty Chex Mix