Will Samuel is a lifelong Alaskan with a passion for research and responsible management of Alaska’s natural resources. He spent years in the field as a backcountry and fishing guide before transitioning to the natural sciences. Will founded Tributary Research Consulting to provide efficient, affordable, and effective scientific consulting services to improve fish and wildlife management and sustainable development of Alaska’s natural resources. He has a diverse set of scientific skills, which includes field logistics, planning, and data collection, data cleaning and manipulation, analysis, and figure generation, and writing scientific reports and grant-supported funding proposals. Will’s primary research interests are freshwater fish ecology and biology, life history, behavior, species interactions, and geospatial and remote sensing research. He also has interests and experience in a broad range of topics including wildlife research and management (particularly about beavers), wildfire effects on ecosystems, broader topics such as stream restorations, technology research and development, and more. Will has also worked to develop a network of scientists and colleagues with their own individual specialties to accomplish management and research goals.  

Will pulls from a broad range of experience to develop his training courses and train a wide variety of individuals. He has over 3000 hours of firearms training, teaching, coaching, and supervision alongside various instructors. His bear safety courses are developed from a combination of scientific literature and his numerous personal experiences. His time as a guide and Wilderness Search and Rescue volunteer informs his perspective on field safety, emergency response, and medical care in the backcountry.