Dylan joined GOCO earlier this month as our Database Coordinator, a new full-time position at GOCO. Dylan works on maintaining and improving our GIS database, along with helping GOCO step fully into the 21st century with our new digital grant record database. He's our go-to guy for all things technical, and we're so excited to have Dylan on board! 

What did you do before you came to GOCO?

I worked for Colorado Parks and Wildlife in the Resource Stewardship section. We compiled the inventories of each of the state parks' natural resources. I did breeding bird surveys, bat surveys, noxious weed mapping, photo monitoring projects, and GIS mapping of the data for each of the reports. I also managed the statewide raptor monitoring program which utilized over 100 citizen scientists who directly influenced management decisions within the parks.    

What brought you to GOCO?

Being born and raised in Colorado I have been familiar with the work that GOCO does for many years.  I am frequently outdoors and see GOCO signs up for projects they have helped fund.  After working for Colorado Parks and Wildlife I became even more familiar with the significance of the work GOCO does, which helped solidify my desire to be involved with the organization. When I saw the job opportunity I applied immediately, and turned down another possible job opportunity, for a chance to be involved with the conservation efforts of GOCO!

What has been your favorite part of working here so far?

The staff has been incredible to work with!  Each of them has such a positive outlook and is highly motivated. To be surrounded by enthusiastic and motivated people makes coming into work a delight. Each staff member has such a depth of knowledge that learning something new each day is easy. 

What is your typical day like?

I work on addressing the technical needs of all staff at GOCO. I am working on standardizing the spatial data that I use for day to day map making as well as enhancing the usability of a newly adopted database known as SmartSearch. Longer term projects include updating GOCO’s webmaps to be more comprehensive and interactive.

What are some of your favorite things to do outdoors?

I love backpacking and fly fishing -- a combination of the two is my favorite! I also love to go birding, hike, bike, play with my dog, ski, surf, wake surf, (try to) golf, really anything outdoors!

Where is your favorite place to get outdoors in Colorado? 

Lost Creek Wilderness is probably my favorite place to go. It's close to Denver and still remote. There are great multi-day backpacking trips that I have done in the area. The best time of year to go is in the fall when the colors are changing! I also really enjoy backpacking in the San Juans, particularly by Ouray, Silverton, and Durango. In my opinion, it's one of the most beautiful areas in the entire state of Colorado. 

What is your most memorable outdoors mishap?

One time as a kid I was camping with my dad and it started to torrentially downpour, so my dad recklessly decided to take the camping stove into the tent. This is never a good idea! After reconfiguring the cooking setup within the tent, the stove fuel came undone and shot a 5-foot flame into the window of the tent immediately disintegrating the window screen.  As quickly as it happened it was over, I will never forget my dad looking me right in the eyes and saying “your mother doesn’t have to know anything about this."

What is the coolest wildlife you have spotted in Colorado?

I have encountered several bears in the backcountry, which is always thrilling yet slightly unsettling! Also, being a bird nerd I have had the pleasure of seeing a northern goshawk on several occasions. The encounter with a goshawk was particularly exciting because it had a squirrel in its talons and three crows were mobbing it; the goshawk just piloted through the trees like a true pro.