Meet the team - lucas pace
Hey everyone! My name is Lucas Pace and I am an Engagement Specialist Intern for Wild Commons.
My path to this internship might be a little different than many might think. I’ve played soccer my whole life and recently finished after graduating from Roanoke College. While this sport took up almost all of my time, I have always strived to immerse myself in the outdoors to experience and learn as much as I can.
Growing up in Colorado, I’ve been surrounded by the beautiful Rocky Mountains and the expansive Eastern Plains, however I never explored as much as I wanted. It wasn’t until middle school when my brother pointed out a Western Tanager, who whisked past us in the Rocky Mountain National Park, that my love for birds and the environment flourished. At the time my mother was a professional photographer, and I started to think about how I could combine wildlife, nature, and photography. I started photographing birds and wildlife with her old Canon cameras and lenses, and have continued to hone my skills ever since.
In college I studied Environmental Studies and Biology, learning more about the natural world and why it’s so important to protect. College provided me with an amazing sports career, and allowed me to explore research opportunities. I found a niche studying ecotourism and deforestation, where I created and implemented a framework to analyze the positive or negative effects ecotourism operations have on Old Growth Forests (OGF). This research took me to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, Costa Rica, and southern Brazil. For about two and a half years I worked on my two research projects, all while playing a varsity sport and continuing the rest of my schooling.
My research opened my eyes to the mystic beauty of OGF’s, as well as the life-sustaining support they provide to all of Earth’s ecosystems. A life goal of mine is to protect and conserve the planet’s remaining OGF, however it’s quite difficult to quantify the importance and beauty of these places. This is why educational documentaries are so important; they allow people from all over the globe to transport themselves into regions they might never get to experience in real life.
Being in an academic space opened my eyes to how difficult publishing your research can be, and sometimes the whole message of a project can be altered in order to publish. After learning about Wild Commons and its mission to make nature storytelling accessible to everyone, I knew I was in the right place. Good science doesn’t have to be a published paper in a well established journal, it can be science communication in the form of documentaries, videos, and more. This type of communication can create real connections with the public and inspire conservation actions.
Growing up I was enthralled by nature documentaries. I have always been amazed about the beauty and message they share, while allowing viewers to experience natural phenomena.
My task at Wild Commons is filmmaker engagement, where I try to find underrepresented films that can help save the world. I truly believe mixing science with entertainment is one of the best ways to spread awareness about issues in our world, and how to make it a better place. This is an important pathway to creating a world where we focus on conservation and protection rather than destruction.
