Christina Akins
Wildlife Specialist II, Ranid Frogs Project
Amphibians and Reptiles Program, Nongame
Branch
Arizona Game and Fish Department
BS in Applied Biological Sciences
“Volunteering with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) and other networking opportunities while a student at ASU’s Polytechnic campus allowed me to land a dream job at AGFD working in conservation of amphibians and reptiles," says alumna Christina Akins. "I’ve always loved working outdoors, catching critters and playing in the mud!"
"My fieldwork is primarily in the Sky Island mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona and near the Mogollon Rim, where I survey and monitor existing populations, do wildlife releases and translocations, captive breeding, habitat renovations and collaborate with scientists who research genetics, disease resistance and environmental DNA.
Christina actively works with the college's applied biological sciences faculty members to involve ASU students in AGFD wildlife projects. In fall 2015, for example, students in Professor Heather Bateman's herpetology course took a three-day trip with Akins and her colleague to assist AGFD with their reintroduction of the Tarahumara Frog species into suitable habitat in Santa Cruz County, Arizona (see photos from this field work).