Travis Blunden

A Florida native, Travis was born and raised in Bradenton. After high school, Travis traveled to Indiana to attend Anderson University where he majored in Biology and played soccer for the Ravens. Upon receiving a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry in 2000, he returned to Florida. In Florida, Travis worked as an intern with the National Audubon Society, and eventually this aspiring naturalist obtained a position as a park ranger for the Florida Park Service. As a Park Ranger at Little Manatee River State Park, he had the opportunity to learn first hand about resource management, earn his burn manager certification and gain a variety of skills in plumbing, general maintenance and public relations. After several years of service in the Florida Park Service, Travis decided that he wanted to be more involved in the planning and management of natural areas, and moved on to graduate school.

Travis enrolled at the University of Florida in 2005, and is currently pursuing his Master of Science degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. Travis’s research involves two of his primary interests - herps and habitat restoration. Working within the 25,000 acre Duette Park in Manatee County, Travis has the opportunity to observe the progress of a large scale scrub restoration program. Travis will be trapping reptiles, amphibians and small mammals in order to evaluate the response of the herpetofauna and small mammal communities to scrub restoration treatments.