Wildlife biologist Tessa Boucher ('20, '23 M.S.) hasn't always been fond of bugs.

As a child, she would lie in bed at night, imagining wasps and feeling terrified.

However, living in the middle of the woods -- where insects were everywhere -- the Louisiana native eventually decided she had no other choice but to accept the tiny critters.

"It's just like germs," says Boucher. "They're everywhere, but knowing where they're at and why they're there gives you a little bit more power over the situation."

No longer fearing an insect buzzing around her head, Boucher discovered new possibilities that set the trajectory for her future career. Nowadays, working as a district wildlife biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, she works with bugs regularly.

"I love insects because they're just so diverse," says Boucher. "And they're beautiful. And there's just so many of them, and they all do so many different things."  

Learning the Craft

When Boucher first learned that she could have a career working in nature, the choice felt right. But she was looking for more than just a traditional biology or wildlife degree. She specifically wanted to study environmental science, a degree UNT offered.

"I felt like the level of education in UNT's environmental science program fit my interest and where I thought I would shine, whereas a traditional wildlife program somewhere else focused less on analytics," says Boucher. "UNT offers a lot of statistics classes and biostats and geographic information systems courses. It was more science-y."

One of Boucher's favorite courses at UNT was stream ecology, where she learned all about habitat assessment and got crucial experience in fieldwork. "I use something from it almost every day," she says.

The class was taught by James Kennedy, Regents Professor Emeritus and former director of the Elm Fork Education Center and Natural Heritage Museum, whom Boucher credits as her biggest influence in UNT's program. "The reason why he was so influential is that he was a great teacher. But he inspired everyone to really get your hands dirty, and get down in it, and understand what you were doing and what you were learning."

UNT's program also challenged Boucher academically, requiring her to take a computer coding class. Boucher was curious about why it was necessary for a career as a wildlife biologist. But over time, she realized the class would help her explain her research findings to other people.

"You have to put it in a way that you can communicate with anybody, right? Because collecting data, being a scientist, is meaningless unless you can talk to somebody about what you found," says Boucher. "You can find the cure to cancer, but if you can't express that to someone or show someone how to use it, or what it is, then it's meaningless."

Doing the Work

Now stationed in the tiny town of Goldthwaite, Boucher collects data about wildlife, such as counting how many particular species are in that region and monitoring disease or parasites.

She has encountered a wide array of animals on the job, from turkeys, deer and coyotes to buffalo, mountain lions and even a zebra and a giraffe. "It's like being on a safari sometimes," says Boucher. She also works with plants, which are important for the ecosystem.

Despite her expertise with fauna and flora, Boucher says it's actually humans she works with the most. Much of her work involves educating landowners about how to best care for their land advising on different ecological issues.

"The main thing is being able to talk to someone and making them feel heard, so that they will listen to what I'm trying to teach them," says Boucher.

Boucher says that there is no "typical" workday, and she is always testing something new.

"A really fun thing about being a wildlife biologist is that you're always learning," says Boucher. "It's almost like everything is an experiment."