After I received my undergraduate degree, I volunteered for the Institute of Conservation at the San Diego Zoo. I assisted with a translocation and repopulation project of the endangered Stephen's kangaroo rat. We facilitated repopulation of this keystone species by transplanting reproductively mature individuals to an uninhabited area of suitable habitat within the Southwestern Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve. To ensure successful colonization by the kangaroo rats, we monitored population growth and reproduction, and results suggested a successful transition.