Meet that Dylan guy

soaking in the Rocky Mountain view

     Hello herbarium blog readers!  My name is Dylan Hilts and I am relatively new to Dr. Monfils' plant biology laboratory.  Since this is my first blog, I guess I'll take this opportunity to tell you all what makes me tick.  I am a Biology major with a focus on natural resources.  Wildlife conservation and management is an area of study that is of great interest to me and largely the reason that I came to study at CMU.  I grew up in northern Michigan on the Au Sable River.  Those of you that are not familiar with the Au Sable, I would strongly recommend that you check it out sometime.  It is a beautiful trout stream, that is absolutely loaded with biodiversity and character.  Growing up near this pure resource has endowed me with the love and respect of our Mother Earth (she's gorgeous isn't she?!) and the drive to become a significant contributor to conserving natural resources like the Au Sable River, and all the wildlife and vegetation that inhabits it's amazing ecosystem.  Outside of my biology "geekery" I spend a lot of my free time playing a variety of sports such as basketball, baseball, golf, and disc golf.  My love for disc golf has really escalated over the last couple of years, prompting me to play year round.  Most view this as crazy considering this is Michigan, but to me is an excuse to get outside, exercise, and enjoy nature even in the harsh winter conditions.

playing disc golf at 11,000 ft 

     I'm also into canoeing, camping, music, movies, and hot wings... naturally.  Anyways, enough about me.  The purpose of this blog is to tell you what I do in Dr. Monfils' lab.  I am currently working on an a grant studying aquatic invasive plant species in Michigan.  The grant is headed by the Department of Environmental Quality and is focused on generating effective management strategies for these plants.  The goal is to minimize their spread, thus reducing the damage they impose on their surrounding environment.