Emily Leonard (2019)

“In 2019, I was awarded the Wetland Foundation’s Conference Travel Grant. Thanks to this generous support, I was able to attend the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.  This meeting not only provided me with an opportunity to present my Master’s research on the response of arthropod assemblages to Phragmites australis invasion and native plant revegetation in Great Salt Lake wetlands, but also allowed me to hear from presenters conducting incredible research in wetlands around the world.  I am very grateful for this experience and for the connections that I was able to form with other natural resource professionals at the meeting. 

The grant covered the costs associated with travel, lodging, and the meeting’s registration fee, but also allowed me to attend the Women in Wetlands Luncheon.  I was incredibly honored to be in a room with so many intelligent, talented, and influential women.  As an early career scientist, I found the conversations had at the luncheon to be so inspiring, and I thank the Wetland Foundation for this experience as well.”