Landmark is ASC’s groundbreaking project to provide “boots on the ground” support for the American Prairie Reserve management team. Wildlife survey crews consist of skilled outdoors men and women who live and work on Montana’s northern Great Plains, collecting data that informs APR’s conservation management decisions.

Several members of the September and August Landmark crews are staying on in October, Jason, Laura and Hendrikje, and are joined by three new teammates, Crystal, Allie and Kim. Get to know the new folks here:

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Crystal Dolis grew up in multiple states, attending high school in Michigan and then moving to San Diego, California. She graduated from the University of California-Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and recently earned her Master’s degree in Biodiversity and Conservation from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. 

Crystal’s interest in nature and wildlife began at a young age while hiking, downhill skiing and exploring. She has done research, field work, and public education with wolves, salt marsh parasites, and marine life. 

Most recently, she studied the diet of red kites in Ireland and worked in South Africa. Crystal enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking, traveling and trying new things. She looks forward to gaining more hands-on field experience in a new ecosystem while contributing to wildlife and landscape conservation.


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Allie Rakowski grew up in a small suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she developed a passion for the outdoors. She recently graduated with a degree in Biology from the University of Dayton.

As an undergrad, Allie spent her time working at the university’s rock wall, kayaking, and playing ultimate Frisbee. During her studies, she dabbled in forestry research and traveled to Costa Rica to study tropical ecology and conservation. Most recently, she worked with the Ohio EPA’s Wetland Ecology Group.

Allie looks forward to starting a new adventure and being a part of an exciting conservation project out on the Great Plains.


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Kim Tri grew up in Rochester, Minnesota, romping around the woods and fields. Her first real camping experience wasn’t until the age of 18 on a school trip to the Boundary Waters, which whetted her appetite for the outdoors.

Kim has been a member of conservation corps crews in Arizona and Minnesota. As an intern on a wildlife crew in the Klamath National Forest in California, she spent nights hooting for spotted owls and days dodging angry goshawks.

A recent graduate of Sterling College in Vermont with a degree in Conservation Ecology, Kim focused her senior project on prairie conservation, which involved a stay in Nebraska and painting a mural illustrating the dynamic nature of the ecosystem. She hopes to gain even more knowledge of grasslands through her in time in Montana, as well as some good stories.



Learn more this and other ASC projects on our website, the Field Notes blog, and by following us on FacebookTwitterInstagram and Google+.