Virginia Department of Conservation and RecreationAn official website of the Commonwealth of Virginia Here's how you knowAn official websiteHere's how you know
Department of Conservation and Recreation
DCR Natural Heritage Program staffer Tyler Meader enjoys a paddle on Eagle Lake near Fort Kent, Maine.On a cold Tuesday, Tyler Meader is thinking of spring and trout fishing in Shenandoah National Park, but don’t ask where – that’s confidential. Instead he is warm and indoors working with the environmental review team in DCR’s Natural Heritage Program. Meader, a project review assistant, and the team review more than 200 projects a month, identifying any potential impacts to natural heritage resources such as rare plants, animals, natural communities and karst resources.
“It was very important to work on the side of conservation,” said Meader as he described his love for the outdoors. “There are shrinking habitats for rare species certainly, but also just for flora and fauna in general. So I wanted to be a part of protecting those areas so that other people can enjoy them in the future.”
Spending much of his youth in Goochland County, Meader grew up loving the outdoors and credits his Boy Scout troop leader for taking him to explore “all the really neat areas Virginia has.” He now shares that love with his wife and daughter. “My wife and I enjoy geo-caching with my daughter. She likes that a whole lot – it’s basically treasure hunting in the outdoors with a GPS.”
Meader started his official path to DCR in 2014 during an internship required as a part of his Environmental Studies program at Virginia Commonwealth University. After his internship, he stayed on in a temporary position and is now full-time. “I love what I do. I love the mission. I get to work with great people who are experts in their fields. This is good work that I get to do every day.”
Meader has reviewed many projects while at DCR, but when asked about his most memorable or largest project, he didn’t hesitate – the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Tyler expressed that the linear nature of the pipeline, stretching from the mountains to the coastal region, provided a unique challenge in the review process. “Considering the amount of time spent reviewing the pipeline project, its geographic scope and the amount of input we have provided, this project is easily the most memorable one I’ve worked on.”
In a nutshell, Meader, through his work and his love for the outdoors, influences others to enjoy and protect Virginia’s biodiversity. “We provide advice about ways to mitigate impacts, and we have good working relationships with our regulatory partners… with private companies and localities. The information we provide and recommendations we make influence the design of projects and conditions of permits in an effort to conserve Virginia’s natural heritage resources.”
