Lael Will named Vermont fisheries biologist

Lael Will was recently hired by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department as a fisheries biologist at the department’s southern regional office in Springfield.

Lael Will named Vermont fisheries biologist May 11, 2012 by Women's Outdoor News Leave a Comment SPRINGFIELD, VT — Lael Will was recently hired by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department as a fisheries biologist at the department’s southern regional office in Springfield. She will be working with fisheries biologist Ken Cox to monitor, manage and protect fisheries in Windham and southern Windsor Counties, as well as the Batten Kill watershed. Photo courtesy of Lael Will Lael’s fisheries background is diverse and has taken her all over the country. A native of western Massachusetts, she received her Bachelor of Science in Marine Resource Development from the University of Rhode Island in 2000. She also spent one year studying marine biology at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. Upon obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she began working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center in Georgia, where she worked with striped bass and robust redhorse. She then worked as a fisheries biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in northern California, where she conducted restoration monitoring of Pacific salmonids. In 2006, she was accepted into the graduate program at the University of Arkansas, where she studied fish communities on the Arkansas River. After obtaining her master’s degree in 2009, she continued to work for the university as a research associate, conducting research on alligator gar and yellowcheek darter. Her most recent position landed her in Santa Rosa, California, where she worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service on steelhead and green sturgeon. Lael is passionate about her career and is excited to be part of the department’s mission to protect and conserve Vermont’s fish and their habitats for the people of Vermont.