Stephanie Schaefer
Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Stephanie Schaefer found her love of wildlife from a spontaneous venture to South Africa that turned into a two-year residence in the game reserves of KwaZulu-Natal. Among working with conservation efforts of protected species, she studied the behavior and distribution of leopards in Tembe Elephant Park and the surrounding areas. It was here that her attention turned to the tourism industry and its role in conservation of natural resources.
When she returned to the United States, Stephanie began working in hotel management and went on to graduate from Arizona State University with a degree in Tourism. While studying and working, she made sure to continue her love of solo travel to experience different cultures and landscapes as much as possible. Her birding interest, now the focus of her travels, was born from her time in South Africa spent with fervid birdwatchers that converted her to looking for the “smaller things”. Her criteria for her next destination now always include what new birds she will find there.
Today Stephanie can be found back in Tucson with her two dogs. In her down time, she is dabbling in photography (to better memorialize encounters of the avian kind), finding ways to make her desert plants thrive, and planning her next trip to parts unknown.
Updated: November 2019