University of Idaho geology professor and researcher Dennis Geist was named president of the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands, an organization that focuses on research and preservation in the Galapagos.
“It’s a great challenge,” Geist said. “I’ve never been the head of an organization as large and as important as the Darwin Foundation so it’s a challenge and an honor to do it.”
The international not-for-profit group provides scientific research and technical information to ensure the preservation of the Galapagos Islands. The foundation runs a research center in the Galapagos under a conservation research and guidance agreement with the Ecuadorian government. The foundation works closely with the Galapagos National Park Service to oversee the preservation of the islands.
Geist has been working in the Galapagos since the early 1980’s while doing research for a thesis relating to his studies of volcanoes.
“My main research interest is in volcanoes, that’s how I got into the Galapagos because the Galapagos are volcanoes,” Geist said. “My thesis research was successful so I’ve been able to make a career out of continuing studies in the Galapagos largely here at the University of Idaho.”
Geist said he worked at the Darwin research station for several years and was asked to participate in the Darwin Foundation that runs the station 10 years ago. Geist worked on the board of directors before he was named president three months ago.
“Basically I’m the administrative head of the board of directors. I run the meetings and so forth but then to some degree I’m also one of the leaders of the institution in that I represent the Charles Darwin Foundation to external organizations,” Geist said.
Geist said he hopes to continue the great work the station already does.
“There’s very few institutions that can say they’ve saved species or saved ecosystems but the Darwin station has done just that, mostly in collaboration with the Galapagos national park,” Geist said. “I hope that the Darwin station will continue to work with the Ecuadorian government and preserve Galapagos because it is one of the most amazing environments on the planet and one of the most emblematic.”
The Darwin Foundation and research center seek to preserve the native species of the island. Geist said most of the research on the island has to do with the control of invasive species because the biggest conservation challenge and ecological problem on ocean islands is when continental organisms get transported to the islands.
“Humans had changed a lot of the ecosystem and introduced things like dogs and cats and that severely reduced the numbers of a lot of the native organisms and so a lot of research is being done to help preserve the threatened and endangered species — things like the giant tortoise, the giant land iguanas, the flightless birds,” Geist said.
The center employs more than 80 employees and works with an annual budget of approximately $3 million in funding that is provided by private foundations and trusts that support conservation and research in the Galapagos.
Geist’s research has been primarily focused on volcanoes. He has worked in Iceland, Antarctica and the Pacific Northwest to study the volcanic activity in these areas. Geist received his bachelor’s degree at Dartmouth University and his doctorate at the University of Oregon.
He has taught and done research at the University of Wyoming and Hamilton College in addition to his work at UI.
“I’m studying volcanoes, but more recently one of the things I’ve been studying is looking at the relationship between the formation of islands and the biodiversity on those islands,” Geist said.
Geist has been working with biologists to determine the relationship and impact of native and foreign species on the formation and geology of the islands.
“It’s been really rewarding. Even though it makes one a little bit less productive, it’s a lot more fun to do new things,” Geist said.
Geist said he is excited for his work in the Galapagos and the new challenges that await him as president of the Darwin foundation.
“I’m very grateful to be working in a place like the University of Idaho that is open minded enough to allow the faculty to not only pursue their own research interests but to pursue service opportunities that benefit both the university and the world in general,” Geist said.
Kaitlyn Krasselt can bereached at [email protected]