Ritch Nelson is a wildlife biologist with the USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service and previously worked for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. He earned an undergraduate degree in 1992 from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln with a major in Fisheries and Wildlife. His interest in obtaining an advanced degree in Applied Ecology stems from a desire to supplement his familiarity with wildlife and grassland systems with additional knowledge in the realm of fisheries and forestry; and to strive to be a lifelong learner. His research project involves a watershed-based conservation effort in Shell Creek located in east-central Nebraska to explore how landowner attitudes have changed over time and how a variety of leaders involved in this effort have sustained their actions over the past 25 years.