Adventure Scientists
Model & Strategy
Adventure Scientists mobilizes the outdoor community to gather and share scientific data to drive conservation impacts around the world. Data collection for environmental research can be expensive, time consuming and physically demanding, which limits the role that science currently plays in the conservation process. Adventure Scientists addresses this problem by providing partners with reliable and otherwise unattainable data at a fraction of the traditional time and cost. By recruiting, training and managing individuals with strong outdoor skills—such as mountaineering, diving or whitewater kayaking—they bring back otherwise unattainable data from the far corners of the globe.
Through their involvement with Adventure Scientists projects, volunteers become informed ambassadors for the species and places with which they work. By telling their stories in the rich tradition of outdoor adventure, they greatly magnify their partners’ efforts. Since 2011, Adventure Scientists efforts have led to the discovery of more than two dozen new species, provided key information to guide wildlife and habitat management, and mobilized thousands of individuals to advocate for conservation.
Gregg Treinish founded Adventure Scientists with a deep passion for exploration of the natural world. During a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2004, Gregg began to feel a strong desire to make a difference with his time in the outdoors. The feeling grew as he earned an Adventurer of the Year honor when he and a friend completed a 7,800-mile, 22-month trek along the spine of the Andes Mountain Range while studying sustainability.
Through his experiences researching lynx, wolverines, bears, owls, and sturgeon, Gregg learned that scientific data collection can be easy to teach – even to a layperson. Additionally, he gained an appreciation of the extensive need for scientific data that permeates the conservation community. Gregg was included on the Christian Science Monitor’s 30 under 30 list in 2012, and the following year became a National Geographic Emerging Explorer for his work. In 2013, he was named a Backpacker Magazine “hero,” one of Men’s Journal’s “50 Most Adventurous Men” in 2015, and an Ashoka Fellow in 2017.
IMPACT
Adventure Scientists focuses on collecting data that will directly lead to tangible conservation management outcomes for the environment. These outcomes have included gaining additional protection status for wildlife, inspiring manufacturers to change their production processes to reduce microplastic pollutions, and helping to identify genes responsible for antibiotic resistance.
Each project investment is vetted to ensure that the project directly addresses an environmental issue where the collection of data has been a limiting factor to unlocking a solution and that there is a clear need for a dispersed network of outdoor volunteers.
The Timber Tracking project, a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the World Resources Institute, in its second year, is creating genetic and chemical reference libraries to make it possible to identify wood species, origin, and legality on the spot. These databases can be used to prosecute timber theft and disrupt the trade of illegally harvested timber, which is a criminal trade larger than the global heroin trade in scale.
In 2019 the Montana Wildlife Connectivity project will identify hotspots of wildlife-vehicle collisions to inform the strategic placement of overpasses, underpasses, and other infrastructure by the Montana Department of Transportation, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and NGO partners.
Adventure Scientists News
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Can a DNA Database Save the Trees? These Scientists Hope SoUsing trained volunteers to collect samples, grantee Adventure Scientists and their partner World Resources Institute aspire to unlock the potential of DNA-based technologies in the…Jun 2018 -
New Heights: A Backpackers Guide to Conservation ScienceGregg Treinish spent his early twenties doing things like hiking the Appalachian Trail and leading groups of teenagers through Southern Utah’s Escalante Wilderness. Later, he…Nov 2017 -
Adventure Scientists on NPR Weekend EditionPlastic pollution in the sea doesn’t just mean bottles and bags. Citizen scientists around the world are helping researchers assess the impact of tiny, often…Sep 2015 -
Men's Journal Names Gregg Treinish One of the 50 Most Adventurous MenFive years after returning from the Andes, armed with a biology and sociology degree, Gregg Treinish founded Adventure Scientists, a non-profit that uses the unique talents…May 2015
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Gregg Treinish Attends White House Citizen Science ForumExecutive Director of Adventure Scientists, Gregg Treinish, attended the invitation-only citizen science forum on September 30th. At the forum, the White House released a memo on…Sep 2014
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We have an amazing position open at Adventure Scientists. We're looking for a Communications Manager to lead our sc… https://t.co/gYmQvaIzWX
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Some sweet #tech hits the water this weekend with the launch of our Wild and Scenic Rivers project! The #FieldKit c… https://t.co/HKXJjNVv4W
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We're honored that Gregg Treinish, our executive director, has been named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leade… https://t.co/JCG2PbI9rA
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Shout out to our 40 awesome #volunteer #adventurers who braved jumping cholla to complete a once-a-decade count of… https://t.co/3bTj307BRb
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Feb 29 was once the only day women could propose w/o the SCANDAL of breaking social norms. 🙄Celebrate #trailblazer… https://t.co/kzfXT3O9Fc
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Many thanks to @AlpackaRaft for supplying our team with the best packraft for our expeditions!
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We need your help to protect these beautiful waterways that supply 10% of drinking water in the US. Starting in sou… https://t.co/cGF4TQcVRv
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Calling all rafters, canoers, kayakers, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts! We're launching a multi-year effort to samp… https://t.co/yWBNKlyA7i
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Can you help us keep wildlife populations connected and make roads safer for humans and animals? Adventure Scientis… https://t.co/Ib1m0hW4p1
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"Transportation corridors are an especially difficult wildlife problem — one researcher calls them 'ecological trap… https://t.co/NmG9PJmtBM
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Can you collect samples for this important research? Specifically, we need volunteers in Oregon, British Columbia,… https://t.co/nrZTTT9nbu
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We need your help to protect Alaska yellow-cedar and western redcedar. We’re contributing to genetic reference libr… https://t.co/dmNO1a4kds
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"Genetic analysis could connect one of those shredded tree stumps found in the forest to a log for sale on the mark… https://t.co/Gl6hNcRVDy
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Ever wondered what it's like to volunteer for our timber project or the impact of the tree samples you collect? Fin… https://t.co/8bvzpiHWxP
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Thank you for an incredible year! We can't wait to see you collecting data in the field with us in 2020!
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Almost there! This is your last day to enter our gear giveaway. With every $50 you donate, you're not only supporti… https://t.co/oLstAlYYHD
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Hang in there! Only one more day to donate $50 and enter to win one of over 25 prizes worth $3,000 from our partner… https://t.co/XNe3WA5gwa
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Your gift ensures that scientists at the cutting edge of their fields have the data they need to address environmen… https://t.co/WIvCzD5dCM
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Walking or cycling to work? You can travel in style with our @peakdesignltd messenger bags. Every $50 you donate by… https://t.co/WE2ph9qI7H
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We love butterflies, #Sunski, and @CROAKIES! Every $50 you donate by Dec. 31 enters you to win one of 20 Sunski/Cro… https://t.co/8z7LsVnCe9