Garrett Moen leads trail building projects this summer in New Mexico's Philmont Ranch

Minnesota native and environmental studies graduate will launch his career in forestry management this fall

Newport, RI (07/14/2023) — Garrett Moen of Victoria, Minn., a recent Salve Regina University graduate with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies, is leading two trail-building projects this summer and teaching lessons in conservation at the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimmaron, N.M. In the fall, he will begin a career in forestry management with the ranch's conservation department, working to strengthen and protect the land against wildfires.

Philmont, the Boy Scouts of America's largest National High Adventure Base, covers 140,177 acres of rugged mountain wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern New Mexico.

Moen credits fieldwork completed with Dr. Jameson Chace, professor and chair of the Salve's department of cultural, environmental and global studies, with preparing him for his career. "I learned how to gather data in difficult environments, specifically while gathering data on birds and trees in the mountains," Moen said. "This will be a large part of my job as a forester and wildland firefighter."

Moen spent the previous summer working at Philmont to educate Boy Scout troops on the importance of conservation by conducting daily lessons and completing a conservation project with each troop. His focus was defending against meadow encroachment and building the surrounding forest's strength and health.

During his free time, he backpacked through the mountains of northern New Mexico tracking the daily flight patterns of the Brown-Headed Cowbird.

An Eagle Scout, Moen is a privately certified sawyer and has S-212 training with experience in tree felling. A member of Salve's sailing team during his undergraduate career, he is a 2019 graduate of Minnetonka High School, where he earned an International Baccalaureate degree.

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