4: Hard Work & No Pay (w/ Meredith Heather)

Meredith Heather is a skilled biologist who has worked and volunteered across the globe, from Namibia to Peru to California. However, she had to pay to get many of the experiences that furthered her career. Join us as we talk about the pitfalls of “pay to play,” what constitutes exploitation, and how to diversify conservation. We have a back and forth dialogue, fluctuating between the unfairness of low pay, yet empathizing with amazing animal conservation groups that are struggling for funds to merely stay afloat. This is just the tip of the iceberg of these discussions, but a great introduction to think about the nuanced challenges with paying to volunteer. 

Join the conversation on IG @nova_conservation 

Share your stories! We’d love to hear from you. DM us or email novaconservationtravel@gmail.com Follow Meredith on IG @merekatmanor

Other Resources:

Archbold Bio Station link: https://www.archbold-station.org/html/aboutus/about.html

Point Blue Conservation Science: https://www.pointblue.org/

Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/novaconservation