Efemmera Gendera is trained as an Environmental Scientist, Behavioral Ecologist, and Ornithologist (i.e., she studies birds). She has studied the behavior and relatedness of bushtits the past five years and wrote her Master's thesis on the relatedness or bushtits (if you're interested, DM her and she'll send you a copy). Efemmera is experienced in teaching, primarily ecology, and is extremely passionate about the overlap between phenomenology and ecology. I know what you're asking: What the hell does that mean? Well, phenomenology is the philosophical discipline that deals with the investigation of subjective, conscious experience. In philosophy, we typically keep this investigation limited to humans, but we can apply this to non-human organisms too (i.e., What is it Like to Be a Bat? by Thomas Nagel). In a nutshell, Efemmera promotes the acknowledgement of the consciousness of non-human organisms. In a world that has promoted capitalism, competition, and exploitation (based on a naïve understanding of how evolution actually works), she believes that recognizing the subjective experience of other organisms is the key to developing a moral-ethical framework for a sustainable society that lives in harmony with functional ecology. Efemmera is more than excited to bring environmental education and build community through drag and looks forward to seeing y'all out on the trails! ✨️💜🏞