3.
What did you have to study in order to be
ready for your job?
Cynthia:
Science,
Science, Science! One of the most
interesting parts of being a wildlife
biologist is the realization that
everything is connected. Ecology and
Conservation Biology were classes that
helped me understand these connections.
Learning about animals (zoology) and
plants (botany) were also important. In
school, I focused my studies on birds
(ornithology) and mammals (mammaology).
Classes in forestry and tree
identification are also important for a
wildlife biologist. If you are going to
work with animals, you need to have a
good understanding of their habitat needs
and how to manage for these needs.
4.
Where do you mostly work?
Cynthia:
Unfortunately the majority of my work is
done in the office. When I do get out
into the field, I pretty much cover the
entire forest.
5.
How many caves have you been in?
Cynthia:
I
have been in too many caves to count!
And, I can't wait to go into several
more!
Cynthia at
the mouth of a cave.
(courtesy of Cynthia Sandeno)
6.
What is one of your favorite caves to go
into?
Cynthia:
I
really enjoy Dillon Cave located in
Orange County. You have to go through a
tight crawl space to enter the cave and
then it opens up into some nice, high
passages. As you go through the cave, you
can see some historic signatures going
back to the late 1800's. Unfortunately
there was also a lot of graffiti in the
cave. Last summer I took a group of
volunteers into the cave and carefully
removed most of the graffiti. My favorite
part of the cave is that it has the
greatest number of bear wallows in any
cave in Indiana. Many people don't
realize that black bears were very common
in Indiana. They used many of our caves
for hibernating until they were
extirpated from the state in the mid
1800's.
7.
What is a karst?
Cynthia:
Great
question! Karst is a term used to
describe an area characterized by the
presence of limestone or other soluble
rocks, where drainage has been largely
diverted into subterranean routes.
Basically, this is a landscape that is
pocmarked with sinkholes, sinking
streams, large springs, and caves.
Continue to
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