My name is Jackson Frost and I am an 18-year-old recent high school graduate who is on a lifelong mission to document as many species of life as I can all over the world. For as long as I can remember I’ve always been captivated by the majesty of the great outdoors. I began my journey as a naturalist focusing on birds and soon became a hardcore birder. I spent the next few years trying to beat my personal records and ended up doing several local “big years” where I would try to see as many bird species as possible in a calendar year. In early 2021 my interest began to spread from birds to the millions of other species that inhabit every inch of land and water on our planet. It is now my goal to set out on a journey to observe and photograph as many of those species as possible. In my life, I hope to travel to well over 100 countries, see over 100,000 species and just spend as much time in nature as is humanly possible. 

I had considered many locations to begin my travels. Mexico, Cuba, Scotland, Colombia, and Japan all made the list, but New Zealand stood out. The number of endemic species in this relatively small country is astounding and I’ve dreamed of seeing some of its most charismatic species for years. Starting in mid-September I’ll be spending nearly 5 months in this amazing country covering almost the entire country and hopefully seeing thousands of species that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. As is the goal with much of my travels, I also hope to spread awareness of citizen science projects like iNaturalist that people can use to help support scientists internationally by providing them with data. From the screaming kiwis to the shy geckos and skinks, the charismatic Little Penguins to the over 100 species of orchids that are native to New Zealand, this is sure to be an unforgettable experience.