在科罗拉多读本科时，我曾在夜深人静的时候，在黄松林中追逐烤土豆大小的猫头鹰。这些可爱而难以捉摸的生物会发出微弱的叫声，然后我就去追。上了山，下了山。暂停。“这是你栖息的地方吗?”路对面的树上又传来一声微弱的叫声。没有。另一个山。这是一项危险而又累人的工作，一切都是以科学和保护的名义进行的。尽管面临挑战，我从未后悔。 I’ve been chasing elusive, imperiled species ever since. I chase mammals now, but hearing an owl call cut through a dark forest still makes my heart skip a beat. Conservation biology programs at small colleges are even rarer than those owls I pursued years ago. I love our community of Warren Wilson Owls, where students can chase their dreams, feathered or not, from day one.