Mia Taylor

Skilled and dedicated Biological Technician offering 5 years of experience learning about and working with the environment, wildlife, and the community. Proficient in safe animal handling practices, monitoring wildlife, and educating diverse groups of people. Skilled in collecting and analyzing data for scientific research, and excellent writing skills. I possess good judgment and decision-making skills which allows me to better manage myself and various groups of people.

Southeastern Wildlife Conclave, 08/01/19 - 03/01/20, 

• Helped organize and plan the annual Southeastern Wildlife Conclave for all the chapter wildlife clubs present in Universities and community colleges in the Southeast.
• Collaborated with various groups of people including the neighboring Haywood community college, Western Carolina University staff, and surrounding Hotels and businesses to organize the food and catering, lodging and various events and conferences for the incoming attendees.

Senior Capstone Project, 08/01/22 - 12/01/22, 

• Collaborated with my fellow classmates to create a management plan to help manage the recreational and natural resources present on the Christmount Christian Assembly property.
• Frequently drove the van to and from the property, giving me experience handling large vehicles.
• Hiked long distances to help gather water and soil data using various instruments to assess their quality and the further treatments if needed.
• Used GPS to mark problem erosion areas on the trail, as well as areas that could use better trail signage.
• Conducted extensive research on native grasses and plants that could be introduced to help with erosion and help create better habitat for present wildlife.
• Conducted a wildlife survey of the area to assess what was present and how they could better manage for those species.
• Created powerpoint presentations and written report to showcase all the assessments and recommendations made for the Christmount Assembly.

WCU Mammalian Hairs Database, 02/01/23- 05/01/23

• Collaborated with my fellow classmates to go organize and assess mammalian hairs present in our collections.
• Demonstrated proficient use in LAS X Microscope technology, where I took pictures of the mammalian hairs to create an online database for Western Carolina University.
• Ability to identify the different hair types and structures present in them, including the medulla, cortex, and cuticle.
• Analyzed variances of hair structure in different mammals and adding that data to excel.

Cataloochee Water Sampling, 09/12/18 & 09/18/19

• Worked with fellow volunteers and directors to collect water samples from waterways off the trails throughout Cataloochee Horse camp in the Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains.
• Hiked long distances in various weather conditions, assisted in collecting water samples, and measurements with correct procedures.
• Made relevant observations of surrounding environment to aid in water site assessment.

Deer Check Station, 11/16/19 & 10/19/22

• Assisted wildlife biologists in gathering data on deer that were in the area by communicating with hunters and inquiring if we could gather lymph node samples and general data on the deer hunted.
• Demonstrated the ability of aging deer by their teeth,measure antler sizes if applicable, and identifying the sex of the deer.
• Extracted lymph nodes out of the necks of the deer for later testing of Chronic Wasting Disease.

Adventure Scientist Timber Tracking, 09/01/21 - 11/01/21

• Worked alongside the chapter wildlife club to gather genetic data of the Black Walnut species in our area.
• Collected tree cores sample, leaf samples, and measurements like tree circumference.
• All of this data went into a database for tree genetics to aid in reduction of Black Walnut poaching.

Environmental Quality Institute/ Stream Monitoring Information Exchange

• Collaborated with the Wildlife Club to collect data on various stream sites in Western North Carolina region
• Used kick nets to collect macroinvertebrates in the water and used sifting equipment through leaf packs to help sort and identify macroinvertebrates in the streams.
• Made assessments of the surrounding environment to determine the overall quality of the stream.

• Mark Hopey:

 (828) 736-1217

markhopey@gmail.com

• Trevor Lauber

(520)993-0275

tslauber@gmail.com

• Teddy McManus

(252)299-2108

tedimcm@gmail.com