Ali Ponko

Part-Time Nature Instructor
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Ventana Wildlife Society
9699 Blue Larkspur Ln, Ste 105
Monterey, CA 93940
aponko@ventanaws.org

• Bio
• Areas of Expertise

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As a former Natural Science Discovery Camper with Ventana Wildlife Society back in the early 2000s, Ali believes that experience shaped her love of nature and wildlife to this day. She is a recent graduate from Humboldt State University where she majored in Wildlife Management and Conservation. Ali now attends Miami University as a Project Dragonfly student where she will earn her M.A. in Biology focusing on inquiry-driven education and community-engaged learning. She has worked with cheetahs, honey badgers and vultures in South Africa, tortoises in the Galapagos Islands and most recently, river otters and racoons at the Sequoia Park Zoo. She loves working with animals and the public to inspire conservation and a love of nature. Other hobbies include playing the violin, hiking, bird watching and swimming in the ocean.

-​Outdoor Education
-Public Outreach
-Animal Behavior
-Wild and Domestic Animal Handling
-Animal Rehabilitation 
-Natural Interpretation