Inspiration that goes beyond the experience.
When
27 year old Tim Rivett first heard about Earthwatch he was
just looking for a break from work while also joining something that served
more of a purpose than wandering around and taking photos. Combined with an
ongoing interest in the environment and conservation, it seemed that an
Earthwatch expedition was the ideal break from the everyday routine.
“When
I first looked through the expeditions on offer I saw an incredible range and
almost didn’t know where to begin. For the first expedition I decided to try an
area in Australia and while I had travelled a fair bit, I had never been up
north into the Daintree Rainforest. So Wildlife
of Australia's Cloud Forest was perfect.
A
few days into the expedition I realised that not only was I pretty good at the
work involved but I also readily understood the reasoning behind it all. One
of the great things about Wildlife of the Cloud Forest is that it has such a
variety of work, and I loved every part of it. Whether it was spotlighting at
night, looking for lizards and other animals during the day, or listening to
birdcalls at dawn it was all a new and exciting learning experience.
I couldn’t imagine life getting better than this and
started to see myself being in the field, spending weeks immersed in the
rainforest and learning about the animals. Everyday you learn something new and
I was constantly amazed at the bird calls Dr Stephen Williams could recall from
a single bird whistle.
As
soon as I got back from the 15 day expedition, I set about checking all the
environmental science degrees offered. Even
though I've always been interested in the environment and in
science I had never seriously considered it as a career until joining the
Earthwatch expedition. I am now in my 3rd year at Deakin University studying
Environmental Science majoring in Conservation Science.
Any
doubts I had about changing careers was quickly rectified after my second
expedition on Cheetah Conservation in Namibia the following year, which was truly
amazing.
For
anyone considering joining an expedition I suggest to be ready to work, learn, think
and try to absorb as much as you can from the experience.
If
you were to put a two-week Earthwatch expedition and a two-week package side by
side the costs would probably be similar. And while you may get to see a
lot of places, take a lot of photos, sleep in a lot of hotels and drink far too
much alcohol on a package holiday, on an Earthwatch expedition you'll get a
much deeper and more meaningful understanding of the place you are in, talk to
some of the most fascinating and interesting people in the world, and come away
feeling very satisfied that you've contributed directly to protecting and
understanding the environment”.
Wildlife
of the Cloud Forest is running teams March, August & September. To find out
how you can get involved in this expedition visit the webpage here