ELY, Minn. – Shannon Barber-Meyer's enthusiasm for her job as a research wildlife biologist often percolates over with audible "whoops" as she sets foot in the field and "yips" upon her return.
"When you take off your backpack after being in the woods, it feels like taking off a superhero cape," she said.
Barber-Meyer works for the U.S. Geological Survey conducting field research for the Wolf and Deer Project in Superior National Forest near Ely. The long-running study is headed by David Mech in St. Paul, one of the foremost experts on wolves in the world and founder of the International Wolf Center here.
As a postdoctoral scholar, Barber-Meyer worked on emperor penguin population studies in Antarctica. She was supervised by researcher Gerald Kooyman, who received special recognition from the National Science Foundation for the study. He's also known for inventing the time-depth recorder, a device for tracking marine mammals.
Barber-Meyer's extensive work history also includes studies on tiger conservation in Asia, elk calf mortality in Yellowstone National Park and the reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolves into the southwestern United States.
However, finding her way to this line of work took some introspection. She considered seminary and medical or veterinary school. Though confident in her science skills, Barber-Myer, 44, said she wasn't sure about her bedside manner or helping poodles who had better haircuts than she did. Plus, she didn't want to be inside all day. Then she thought of wildlife conservation.
"It was science and preserving wild places so people could have access to them for potential transcendental experiences. It's kind of like John Muir's church," she said. "I love science, but I also love questions about the universe as a whole, humanity's place in it and who we are as individuals and collectively."
Barber-Meyer offered further thoughts on her exuberance for her profession. Here are edited excerpts: