Bio

Sydney Jantsch is a master’s student in the Huxley College of the Environment at Western Washington University, studying freshwater ecology with an emphasis on salmon habitat restoration. Born and raised in Bellingham, Washington, Sydney holds an ever-growing love and appreciation for the natural environment surrounding her.  She loves to spend her free time exploring the outdoors in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Hiking, swimming, gardening and backpacking are a few of her favorite activities. She also spends her time volunteering at a local thrift shop, riding her motorcycle and playing the bass.

Sydney’s research interests revolve around protecting the beautiful and unique Pacific Northwest landscape she loves and calls home. Prior to beginning her current master’s studies at Western Washington University, she conducted independent field research of local amphibian habitat and performed macroinvertebrate surveys to assess food availability for salmon. She graduated from Huxley College of the Environment in Spring of 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. Following graduation, she worked as a field technician on the South Fork Nooksack River assessing engineered log jam effectiveness at enhancing habitat for local salmon species. This work on the Nooksack River fed her desire to understand how to best prepare at-risk species, such as Chinook salmon, for the ever-changing climate challenges they face. Through her studies and research in the Pacific Northwest, she hopes to extend this knowledge and insight to the rest of the world.

Learn more about Sydney’s research