Dan Young's converted camper van parked roadside amongst rolling hills.

Matthew Danihel

The People of The Peregrine Fund: Dan Young

North America
Two photos. Left shows Dan Young sitting in his computer along with his dog Binny. Right shows a closeup of a Peregrine Falcon. Overlaid is a video play button, The Peregrine Fund's logo, and Dan's signature.
Matthew Danihel (left) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Conservation Training Center, Creative Imagery (right)


“As odd as it may sound, living in a van had always been a bit of a dream for my wife and I,” says The Peregrine Fund’s Brand Manager Dan Young. “We really had the desire to simplify our lives and immerse ourselves in nature. I feel very lucky that thanks to The Peregrine Fund, in my role, we’ve been able to live out that dream.”

A veteran of multiple nonprofits, Dan first joined The Peregrine Fund’s communications team back in 2021. As Brand Manager, his role is to ensure external and internal communications pieces are visually consistent and align with who we are as an organization—all computer-based duties conducive to remote work. So when the opportunity presented itself in the form of a Dodge ProMaster Van converted for full-time living, he and his family took the plunge into van life—and they’ve never looked back. “I don’t think we could be more grateful to be living in a van,” he smiles.

Dan, along with his wife Kaelan and a gregarious pit bull mix named Benny, are now approaching a year crisscrossing North America. Their travels have taken them from South Florida to Washington’s Olympic National Park, and all the way from Canada’s Banff National Park to the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. “Living on the road has really changed our perspective,” notes Dan. “When you’re in the midst of nature, it’s impossible not to notice how our decisions as people affect the environment and the creatures that call it home.” But perhaps no stop so far has been more impactful than one at our California Condor management facility in northern Arizona.

“There’s really nothing like seeing an endangered species in the wild with your own eyes,” says Dan. “Seeing wild California Condors helped us truly understand the success that we at The Peregrine Fund have had, not just with condors, but with so many other species around the world. But at the same time, it showed the work that we still have ahead of us. More than anything, it made it all even more worth fighting for—to try to keep these amazing creatures around for future generations to enjoy.”

Catch more installments of "The People of The Peregrine Fund" here.