Gabriel De Jong
Terrestrial Ecologist, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Gabriel De Jong Gabriel is a terrestrial ecologist for The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas. © Julianna Williams
Area of Expertise
Plant community ecology
Biography
Gabriel has been with The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas since December 2015. He leads the Terrestrial Monitoring, Measures and Adaptive Management Program overseeing terrestrial restoration projects and assists on prescribed burn operations.
With extensive experience in botanical inventories, plant community monitoring, ecological assessments, data management, statistical analysis and written reporting, Gabriel is at ease presenting to diverse audiences, from curious first graders to accomplished scientists.
With a focus on plant biology, ecology and environmental studies, Gabriel earned his B.S. in biology from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, followed by seasonal work on invasive species control with The Nature Conservancy in Michigan. Later research and studies centered on plant biology, plant community ecology and biological invasions earned him an M.A. in plant biology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Gabriel is happily married to Liz and having fun as dad to Sylvan, 12, Auburn, 10 and Wendell, 8, plus Onyx, a mixed breed who thinks she’s sis to the brothers. When he’s not monitoring the health of Arkansas’ forests, Gabriel savors time as a coffee aficionado enjoying a great cup of coffee that he’s roasted himself and prepared in one of five different coffee makers at home, plus a couple at the office.