About Us

Key Staff

William Samuel

Principal

Will Samuel is the Principal, Lead Scientist, and Lead Instructor at Tributary Research Consulting. Read more about his background here.

Qualifications:

  • Master of Science in Fisheries – University of Alaska Fairbanks

  • Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management – University of Alaska Fairbanks

  • Certified Fisheries Professional (FP-C) – American Fisheries Society

  • NRA Certified Firearms Instructor

  • NASAR SAR Tech II, certified Incident Commander, and prior Training Chief at Interior Alaska Wilderness Search and Rescue

  • Wilderness First Responder (NASAR) and Emergency Trauma Technician (SOA)

  • Alaska DNR Boater Safety Instructor

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Aidan Hunter

Senior Wildlife Biologist — Bear Guard

Aidan was born and raised in Alaska and brings nearly a decade of hands-on wildlife biology experience across Interior and Arctic Alaska. His career has centered on large mammal capture and population management, where he has personally darted and handled over 95 caribou and 52 moose across more than ten large-scale capture projects, overseeing chemical immobilization, collaring, biological sampling, and drug trial research in coordination with veterinary staff. His bear work spans population management, species planning, and direct field experience in high-density grizzly and black bear corridors, and he has performed forensic necropsies on grizzly and polar bears for federal and state investigations.

Beyond ungulates and predators, Aidan's project experience spans the full range of Alaska wildlife —dall sheep, gamebirds, migratory waterfowl, songbirds, and small mammals— giving him the breadth to contribute meaningfully to nearly any biological field project. Aidan also brings strong technical skills in report writing, R-based population modeling and analysis, and ArcGIS Pro for survey design and habitat analysis.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology – University of Alaska Fairbanks

  • State of Alaska Certified Shotgun Instructor

  • NRA Range Safety Officer

  • Hunter Education Instructor

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Benjamin Meyer

Senior Aquatic Scientist

Ben is an aquatic scientist based on the Kenai Peninsula with nearly two decades of field research experience across Alaska. His work centers on water quality monitoring, salmon habitat, and conservation planning. He has served as Project Manager and Project QA Officer for a long-term, multi-agency baseline water quality monitoring program operating under a QAPP with EPA Region 10 and ADEC signatories, and led its 2023 revision. Ben builds reproducible data workflows in R and GitHub for data management, QA/QC, analysis, and visualization, and has independently secured more than $1.1 million in public and private research funding.

Ben’s fisheries background includes his Master’s research on how climate change may affect juvenile Chinook and coho salmon rearing habitat in the Kenai River watershed, published in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. He has also led juvenile salmon ecology projects in the Yukon River watershed. With the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, he operated a remote coho smolt tagging camp that tagged more than 20,000 fish, operating airboats, jet boats, and prop boats. His consulting work includes aquatic productivity surveys and sample QA/QC for the Susitna River hydroelectric baseline studies. He is also a former wildland firefighter.

In his free time, Ben serves on the board of Kenai Peninsula Trout Unlimited, coaches youth cross-country skiing, and is professionally fluent in Spanish.

Qualifications:

  • Master of Science in Fisheries – University of Alaska Fairbanks

  • Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences – University of Alaska Fairbanks

  • Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry – University of Alaska Fairbanks

  • Wilderness First Responder

  • Swiftwater Rescue certified; experienced jet boat, prop boat, and airboat operator

Josh Konefal

Instructor — Bear Guard

Josh is a lifelong Alaskan and retired U.S. Air Force veteran with over 17 years of service, including duty as a Search and Rescue Alert Crew Chief on HH-60 Pave Hawk aircraft operating throughout Alaska. His background includes extensive work in remote and austere Alaska environments, firearms safety, operational planning, risk assessment, and personnel accountability in dangerous settings. Since retiring from the military, Josh has worked with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, supporting live-fire range operations and teaching firearms safety to state employees, hunters, and youth across Interior Alaska. In Josh's current role with TRC, he serves as a bear guard and instructor, responsible for maintaining a safe working environment in remote settings.

Qualifications:

  • Retired U.S. Air Force veteran – 17+ years of honorable service

  • NRA Certified Firearms Instructor and RSO

  • State of Alaska Certified Shotgun/Rifle Instructor

  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Polar Bear Deterrence Specialist

  • EMT-I, Wilderness First Aid, and CPR/AED certified

  • Pre-nursing certificate, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Cutter Degerlund

Instructor — Bear Guard

Cutter grew up in Alaska and Russia and has abundant experience in remote wilderness scenarios. Along with numerous personal and professional ventures, he spent 16+ years leading and participating in the Alaska Wilderness Search and Rescue Team, providing volunteer search and rescue services in Interior and Northern Alaska. He has over 10 years of firearms instruction and training experience, including youth programs and bear safety. His background as a professional civil engineer (P.E.) provides a valuable perspective on all aspects of TRC’s operations.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering – University of Alaska Fairbanks

  • Professional Engineer (P.E.)

  • NRA-certified Rifle and Pistol Instructor, Range Safety Officer

  • Medical training: EMT, ETT, WFR, WFA

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Interested in working for TRC? Contact us today at info@tributaryrc.com