Growing up in the Coastal Bend of Texas, Eliana loved spending time outside with her family and learning from her grandfather, who was a wildlife professional. Attending Wildlife Conservation Camp and volunteering at the Welder Wildlife Refuge as a teen solidified her interest in the natural resource management field. She graduated from Sul Ross State University with a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology in Spring 2024. During her time as an undergraduate, she was president of the Range and Wildlife Club and an active member of the Plant ID team. Her love for the area and desire to continue to challenge herself inspired her to pursue a master’s degree beginning in Fall 2024.

Though small in size, insect pollinators have an enormous impact on ecosystems worldwide, including arid environments such as ours. Higher numbers of pollinator species have been recorded in environments with more heterogeneous plant communities. Year-round mowing has been shown to decrease structural heterogeneity and vegetative diversity. Selective mowing plans, however, can be used to introduce disturbance that benefits plant communities and subsequently increases pollinator diversity. Eliana’s study aims to evaluate the responses of plant and insect communities to various mowing regimes at the Fort Davis National Historic Site to draw conclusions about the effects of mowing on local pollinators.