Finding My Place in the Field

By Syd Holpp, Senior Environmental Technician

If you had asked me in high school what I wanted to do with my life, environmental science probably wouldn’t have been my answer.

At the time, I thought I was headed toward criminal justice. Then I took AP Environmental Science, and something clicked. For the first time, I realized how connected people are to the landscapes around them and how important it is to protect and restore those places. That class completely changed the direction of my life.

A few years later, I found myself at Colorado State University studying Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, spending long days in soil pits, competing on the Soil Judging Team, and working alongside NRCS soil scientists in a lab. I didn’t know exactly where the degree would take me yet, but I knew one thing for certain: I wanted a career that kept me outside, constantly learning, and connected to the land.

That’s exactly what I found at EcoPoint.

One of my favorite things about this job is that no two weeks ever look the same. During the field season, I spend much of my time monitoring reclamation sites for oil and gas projects across Colorado. Most of these locations are remote — places I probably never would have seen otherwise. There’s something incredibly peaceful about driving out before sunrise, watching the landscape slowly change outside the window, and ending up somewhere quiet enough that all you hear is the wind.

Those moments remind me why I chose this path.

Fieldwork can be unpredictable. Some days are long, dusty, and exhausting. Other days feel almost surreal in their beauty. But even on the hard days, there’s something rewarding about knowing the work matters. Reclamation is about helping disturbed land recover and seeing that progress firsthand keeps me passionate about what I do.

There’s no better feeling than revisiting a site year after year and finally being able to recommend it for release because the vegetation community once again reflects the surrounding landscape. Watching native grasses return, seeing biodiversity increase, and knowing the land is healing — those are the moments that stick with me.

One of the projects that impacted me most was working in the Pawnee National Grassland mapping native plant species and collecting seeds for future live planting efforts. It felt less like work and more like being fully immersed in the landscape. Hours would pass while identifying plants, collecting seeds, and moving quietly through the prairie. It’s hard to explain the kind of peace you find out there until you experience it yourself.

When winter arrives and the field season slows down, my work shifts indoors. I spend a lot of time processing drone imagery, creating mosaics, and digitally mapping flowlines and infrastructure. Occasionally, I also get the chance to fly the drone myself to capture imagery for facility diagrams. I love that balance between technology and fieldwork — one season I’m hiking reclamation sites and the next I’m building detailed maps from aerial imagery.

That variety is what makes this career so fulfilling for me. I’ve never wanted to sit at the same desk every day doing the same thing over and over. I need movement, problem solving, and change. Environmental consulting gives me that freedom while also allowing me to contribute to something meaningful.

As a young professional, I’ve also been incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by strong, intelligent women throughout my education and career. Many of my professors, classmates, mentors, and managers have been women whose passion and leadership shaped the way I approach my work today. From my time at Colorado State to working at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and now EcoPoint, I’ve seen firsthand the impact women continue to have in ecology, soil science, and environmental consulting.

Looking back, it’s funny to think one high school class completely redirected my future. What started as curiosity turned into a career that has taken me across Colorado, introduced me to incredible mentors, and allowed me to grow in ways I never expected.