Meet Jessiah Hahs Brinkley | Invertebrate Club of Southern California Leader

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessiah Hahs Brinkley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessiah, what do you attribute your success to?
The people. Throughout my journey leading the Invertebrate Club of Southern California (ICSC), the thing that I have always circled back to as the root of our success is the people. The shared hobby of all the members, keeping and studying “bugs” like tarantulas, roaches, and ants, is one that is still comparatively small, so for a lot of people the only way they interact with those of the same interest is online. With the ICSC though, we’ve been able to create a community that makes that very real in-person connection, whether that’s during a meeting, on a hike, or at a bug fair. Talking to and learning from others who are just as passionate as myself about caring for and protecting these often-unloved creatures has shown me again and again how beautiful an “IRL” community is, and how necessary it is that we have organizations like these that bring people together. I’ve met so many awesome people and made so many lasting relationships through the ICSC, and I think this is often an overlooked asset for those of us accustomed to living most of our lives online. So. even though we’re all about the bugs in the ICSC, at the end of the day it is still the people that has and will continue to make us successful as a club, and for that I am deeply grateful.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The Invertebrate Club of Southern California is dedicated to building the community around invertebrate-keeping and study, as well as promoting the understanding and conservation of these creatures that we love so much. Because of this mission, we’ve been able to bring a lot of people of different backgrounds together to not only pursue things related to keeping invertebrates, like group buys, collecting trips, and vending at reptile shows, but also to protecting them, whether through educating the public at outreach events, picking up trash in natural habitats, or learning how to better conserve invertebrates from scientists we invite to speak at meetings. Throughout there’s been all the challenges associated with building an organization of this kind, but over the five years of the ICSC’s existence I’ve seen how all these challenges can be met if you prioritize the community over any other aspect; I said it earlier and I’ll say it again, the people I’ve met through the ICSC are what makes doing this all worth it.

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?
For invertebrate enthusiasts, some places that we as a club might take them are the LA Natural History Museum’s Bug Fair or the Spider Pavilion. Both these events are awesome experiences, with the Bug Fair being the only event of its size in all the US, and the Spider Pavilion as a great opportunity to examine a bunch of cool spiders up close. For a more natural experience, I personally like taking people to Eaton Canyon in Pasadena, Box Springs Mountain in Riverside, and Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego. Each place has so much amazing invertebrate biodiversity and so many different habitats, from riparian areas to oak forest to California chaparral. They are each great examples of the natural beauty of SoCal outside of the concrete jungle that is so much of it, and I always find interesting species when I visit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d love to give a shoutout to John Kim, the president of the Southern California Carnivorous Plant Enthusiasts group and the Southern California Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts club, and executive officer in the California Turtle and Tortoise Club, amongst many others. He joined the Invertebrate Club of Southern California two years ago, and in that time he has drawn on his experiences in these other groups to help me become a better leader and organizer, as well as helped the ICSC get into a lot of bug shows and outreach events that we might not have otherwise been able to. I’m super grateful for his constant kindness and help, and know he should get way more recognition for all that he does. His work across so many clubs and societies to promote responsible and educated culturing of plants and animals is awesome to see and is deserving of applause. Thank you so much John for all that you do!

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/invertebrate-club-so-cal/home

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invertclubsocal/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Invertebrate-Club-of-Southern-California/61561884247497/

Other: iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/the-invertebrate-club-of-southern-california
Patreon: patreon.com/InvertClubSoCal

Image Credits
Jessiah Hahs Brinkley
John Kim