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English: March is Women’s History month, and we want to highlight some of the amazing women here at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on our social media sites.

Name:
Elizabeth Freiday

Title:
Fish and Wildlife Biologist

Duty station:
New Jersey Field Office

Female Conservation Hero or Mentor:
A female instructor in grad school was just a great example to me of how a woman can both be a mother and leader at work. She also helped me to see that doing great work doesn’t mean you have to work around the clock. If you work hard while you are at work, you have time to play hard at home.

Where did you go to school?
Clemson University and University of Kentucky

What did you study?
The Effects of Elk Restoration on Breeding Bird Communities in Eastern Kentucky.

How did you get interested in conservation?
I became interested in conservation at a very early age. We lived in a city and I only had domestic pets as my inspiration, but as soon as I grew up and moved out of the city I discovered that my pets were just a placeholder until I discovered my true love for wildlife. I am most intrigued by bird ecology (yes, I am one of those geeks who knows all of the birds songs). With over 10,000 species of birds in the world to learn about, how could anyone ever get bored with a career in wildlife management?

What’s your favorite species and why?

My favorite species is the brown pelican. I grew up in Florida and, as a child; my family rescued a brown pelican that was caught in fishing line. That one bird opened up a whole world of birds that I didn’t know existed until that day. Pelicans are so graceful in flight and entertaining to watch feed. It is hard to pick a favorite bird, but I guess I just did.