2018 Roan Naturalist Travis Bordley
Former AmeriCorps service member Travis Bordley stepped into our Roan Naturalist boots this summer. Travis spent the majority of his time from May to August on the Appalachian Trail between Carvers Gap and 19 E, recording data, educating hikers, and helping manage negative impacts to the Roan’s fragile, globally important ecosystems.
In total, he observed over 12,600 hikers in the Roan, and had interpretive, educational discussions with more than 4,000 people.
“There were days where I couldn’t believe my eyes at the steady stream of people pouring onto the trail,” says Travis. “These moments made me fear for the sensitive habitat in the area. There were also slow days when visitor usage was low, and I was able to genuinely connect with people.” Read more