Thomas Noland
Science has always been a passion for me. I was lucky enough to have a high school teacher who
allowed me to get extra credit points by turning in science collections, otherwise I may not have been
able to pass science because reading and math were a struggle for me. With my teacher's help, I started
collecting insects and pressing plants, improved my grades, and eventually became the president of our
high school science club.
After high school I went to the University of Washington in Seattle to study zoology and entomology,
focusing on beetles returning to the pumice plains of Mt. St. Helens after the May 18, 1980, eruption. I
also revisited my high school to volunteer as teacher's assistant for that same science teacher. After
graduating with a B.S. in zoology from the University of Washington in 1989, I worked for the
Department of Agriculture on the Asian gypsy moth program. These invasive moths became a concern
after the opening of the Soviet Union, allowing ports to begin shipping to the West Coast. As a field
supervisor I was in charge of training field crews and setting up pheromone traps for the moths.
In 2003, I went back to school to complete a professional certification program in wetland science and
management. This allowed me to work for a nonprofit doing wetland and salmon stream restoration
and teaching classes about stream and riparian ecology to students and adults. During this time I also
helped students with their senior projects and provided letters of support to their potential colleges and
universities.
Being interested in helping feral and stray cats, I later worked for a nonprofit no-kill cat shelter, where I
helped care for more than 200 cats. This led me to get back to school again, and I earned an AAS in
veterinary technology in 2017 and obtained my licensed veterinary technician (LVT) credentials. I
worked in a private clinic as an LVT until 2019. When Covid-19 hit, I started working from home and
have been writing and photographing for an online magazine called Salish, covering topics such as
lichens, red alder trees, ice age animals, seaweeds, and spiders.
Over the years I've had the pleasure of giving many presentations about topics such as shrub-steppe
desert life, wetlands, the Hawaiian islands, amphibians, aquatic insects, and beneficial garden insects to
audiences of all ages. I've developed my own PowerPoint presentations and often use props and
interactive activities to engage audiences. In addition, I've led many outdoor field trips focusing on
native plant identification and wildlife. I'm fortunate to keep in touch with professionals in arachnology,
entomology, lichenology, and botany, and I have a library of dozens of books on plants, animals, and
ecology. These resources and my ability to do solid, fact-based research online help me keep up to date
on my science information.
I would be honored to help you or your family members learn about and enjoy the natural world around
you, as well as supporting students in your educational journeys.