Meet Ryan Hedlund: Aquatics Field Fellow
For Ryan Hedlund, Voyageurs National Park has always been more than a spot on the map – it’s home. Growing up in International Falls, with ample time spent fishing and camping on Rainy Lake at his grandfather's cabin, Voyageurs National Park was a relaxing place that sparked his early love for the outdoors. These early experiences inspired a lifelong curiosity about the world beyond and a desire to protect nature for future generations. They also deepened his appreciation for how special this region is, and how rare the opportunity is to grow up surrounded by pristine, protected lands.
The Voyageurs Field Fellow program offers paid fellowships for students and recent graduates to gain hands-on experience in our public lands. As a 2025 aquatics field fellow, Ryan has been involved in a wide range of projects that are giving him critical research experience and helping him build a foundation for a future career in natural resource management.
With many projects keeping him busy this summer, no week is the same as the one before. A typical day might look like replacing batteries in monitoring boxes that record amphibian activity across the park, tracking water quality and performing lab analysis, and conducting interior lake studies involving water sampling and fish population surveys. That doesn’t include the time and energy spent hiking through the woods to get to those lakes! One of his favorite memories from the summer is hiking all day to McDevitt Lake near Anderson Bay on Rainy Lake and getting to camp with his coworkers, which really helped them bond and form great working relationships with one another.
“It’s a lot of prep work and hiking, but the variety is what makes it great. Every day is different” Ryan said. “And now I have research experience that I didn’t have before, which is huge when applying for jobs in this field.”
Ryan spends a majority of his time at the interior lakes in the park. Which, he says, are the hidden treasures of Voyageurs. Even though he grew up nearby, Ryan barely knew the interior lakes of Voyageurs existed. Now, they’re among his favorite spots in the park
About to start his last semester at Bemidji State University to complete his degree in Wildlife Biology, this opportunity to gain research and field experience while working alongside the National Park Service came at the perfect time. Ryan says that the connections he’s built will also benefit him long-term, as public lands management and field research are deeply integrated with his degree. With a future career in land management in mind, he described his summer back home and in the park as “one of the best opportunities I’ve ever had.”
Learn more about Ryan’s experience this summer by watching our “Field Stories” webinar from earlier this year!
Support Field Fellows:
The Conservancy’s Voyageurs Field Fellows program seeks to increase accessibility and professional development opportunities at Voyageurs National Park. The fellowship offers students and recent graduates a stipend-paid internship to engage in real world, hands-on work in areas such as preservation, natural resource management, environmental education and more. If you’d like to support future Field Fellows and their important work, please consider becoming a member with a gift today.
Funding for the Voyageurs Field Fellowship program is generously supported by Voyageurs Conservancy members, the Fredrikson & Byron Foundation, Elmer & Eleanor Andersen Foundation, and the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.
