Meet Sergio Gonzalez | Pilot/Biologist and Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sergio Gonzalez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sergio, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
As a father of two young daughters (6 and 2 years old), the most important thing I’ve done as a parent in terms of the impact on them has been to aggressively demand time from the external forces of my life to devote to them. As any parent, you experience a shift in your values when your kids are born, and I think for me, that shift was really strong and then intensified after we had a second child. I’m a pretty busy guy with several different cakes in the oven at once, but having children has really made me re-evaluate my career choices and what I think a fulfilling life means. We’ve always been involved in making sure we engage the girls in active learning from very young, and also get them out into the world to experience things from a very young age. We travel internationally with them, take them into the woods, go kayaking, do crafts. In 2020, I had the opportunity to take family leave because of the covid emergency relief legislation. I took all of it. We took our kids out of the school system and daycare and I homeschooled them. I ended up quitting my job to be with the kids more (on top of the fact that I felt work stress starting to affect my mood at home).
The rest of the world doesn’t matter to me anymore. My life is my girls. My job is to raise them, to teach them, to enrich their lives as much as I can while I have them. Having my own business has really helped to do that. I can piece together a few different sources of income and still have more time to dedicate to the kids, especially now that we have to juggle drop-off and pick-up at school again.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
So I’m a scientist. I’m a wildlife biologist by education and training. I have a lot of experience internationally, as well as locally, working with wildlife. I’ve worked for several state entities as a biologist working in wildlife and habitat management. So being in South Florida, that means I’ve spent a huge amount of the last ten years on an airboat or tromping around in the Everglades. Around 2011, I was working for the University of Florida, chasing pythons in Everglades National Park. We used to fly in a small Cessna and track some we had implanted with radio transmitters and then also go in after them on foot or by helicopter if they were too far to get to on foot. (Look up “Python 41 Capture” on YouTube).

That’s how I fell in love with flying. I said “I need to do this.” So I did. It took me a few years to learn on the side (it’s expensive), but I eventually did. I got a commercial certificate, a drone license, and a ground instructor certificate. Eventually I was flying some of the same crews around to track invasive reptiles. I also started mapping wildfires and vegetation changes for the state. It’s been super rewarding for me, especially as a biologist. I’ve also worked on getting a few drone programs off the ground for a couple of university groups and agencies over the years. Navigating the Federal Aviation Regulations and FAA policy can be a headache, especially when you are adding local ordinances on top of that.

Now I’m working as a tour operator, Ecosystem Services, LLC., out of Fort Lauderdale. I pride myself in giving a unique ecotour of the city, the Everglades, and the beach. A lot of tour operators just show you the sights. I’ve got a real in-depth knowledge of how the city and the local ecology interact.

Tonight, I’m actually also working an event. I’ll wear my photographer hat and have a booth on Las Olas selling canvas prints of some of my work. A lot of the photos are from Florida, but a lot are also from work I’ve done in Belize, Panama, Namibia, etc. The overarching theme is nature, through the eyes of a field biologist. I also don’t edit any photos at all. I want to keep the scene as close to reality as I can capture. Check out more at www.thenaturalistinflorida.com.

Otherwise. I’m wrapping up a Master’s degree in about two months, and I’m also putting some hours in at the university in my advisor’s lab. I’ve actually flown us across the state to go collect samples before. Looking forward to doing more of that.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Hahaha. My best friend moved out to Utah about a year ago. If he came back, we wouldn’t be in the city. We’d be driving to get out into the swamp if it was hunting season. Or we’d go fishing, either the canals in the Everglades or finding a spot on the saltwater side. My favorite place IN the city, is probably the airport. If I’m at the airport, we are going to have a good time. There’s a nice sense of community there. I have a few good friends in that scene, and any day you go fly is a good day. I love taking my friends up.

I really don’t like going out to eat anymore. I’ve been too disappointed with overpriced table fare. Many of the trendy spots all serve the same type of stuff. I’m actually more into a local Thai place — Emerald Thai off of State Road 84, in Davie. Not really a hangout, but the food is great.

Lauder Ale Brewery is my current favorite bar. Fantastic atmosphere. Fantastic beer! Great people. Dog friendly. Lots of events.

I like to cook if we have people around. I have a beautiful yard, shaded by a giant oak tree and a lot of lush vegetation, so we throw down at our house for friends a lot. I’ll BBQ and host any day of the week. We get most of our beef locally, from a friend’s ranch, so it’s all free range, grass fed, beef. It’s so much better quality than anything at the store.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I think there are two. First off, my wife, Dr. Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez. She’s been a huge supporter of all my crazy ideas and goals. From day one, we’ve been partners in everything, working together on many career endeavors, and we are also very supportive of each others’ independent projects. Although, I can still remember being shocked that she was totally on board when I decided I wanted to learn to fly planes. Recently, and less personal, a big shoutout to Dr. Jordan Peterson. His lectures and books have really helped guide some of my introspection. His lectures are great, and a great read is 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.

Website: www.thenaturalistinflorida.com

Instagram: @thenaturalistinflorida

Facebook: www.facebook.com/aviators.scientists & www.facebook.com/thenaturalistinflorida

Other: aviators.scientists@gmail.com