Six-year-old Finn Huttenlocher doesn’t have a single favorite animal.
“I like a lot of them,” he said.
Pressed further, he starts listing them — peregrine falcons, sperm whales, hammerhead sharks, bears and platypuses — the kind of range that reflects how much time he spends thinking about wildlife.
Finn, a sweet, soft-spoken first grader at Southold Elementary School, has developed that interest over years of small, everyday experiences close to home.
“We started very young, just going for long walks,” said his mother, Jessica Passarello. “We would naturally pick up trash … and he became very aware of how important that was.”
Those walks, often through local neighborhoods and farms, were paired with books about ecosystems, oceans and wildlife. Over time, Finn began connecting those lessons to the world around him — learning about bees, plastic pollution and how everyday actions affect the environment.
“It was really just a combination of what we were reading and what we were doing,” Passarello said.
That passion has now put Finn on a national stage. He is one of thousands of children competing in the Jr. Ranger contest, a nationwide competition run by a company called Colossal Management in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation.
The contest advances participants through multiple rounds based on public voting, with supporters able to cast free daily votes or make donations that count as additional votes, a structure that doubles as a major fundraiser for conservation programs.
Ospreys and owls
Much of Finn’s free time is spent outdoors or focused on animals. He watches nature documentaries, attends summer camp at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge and looks for wildlife whenever he gets the chance.
“I like to look at birds and things,” he said.
From the school bus, he regularly watches an osprey nest near his route. At home, he has seen foxes in the yard and helped track birds gathering sticks for nests.
“One time, last year,” he told a reporter, “an osprey flew down and grabbed a giant stick with his talons.”
He and his family have also spent time observing a great horned owl and its chicks over the course of a season — watching them grow before eventually leaving the nest.
“We would watch her almost every day,” his mother said.
Finn’s interest extends beyond observation. He has begun to understand basic conservation ideas and applies them in simple ways.
“Paper is made out of trees, so use both sides of paper, to help the world stay healthier,” he said.
Inspired by Ranger Rick
A major influence on Finn has been Ranger Rick, the long-running children’s wildlife magazine published by the National Wildlife Federation.
The Passarello family has subscribed to the magazine for years.
“He gets excited about it every month when it comes,” his mother said.
The magazine introduces animals, habitats and conservation topics in a format designed for children, and Finn has taken to it quickly — reading stories, studying photos and learning new species.
Supporters can cast free votes daily, but they can also make donations to receive additional votes — a structure that turns the contest into a large-scale fundraiser.
The model raised more than $6 million last year for the National Wildlife Federation, she said.
Finn entered after his family saw information about the contest and submitted responses to a set of questions. He was selected as one of the participants and has since advanced through multiple rounds.
Within his group, he has remained near the top of the standings, holding second place for much of the competition. Supporters cast one vote for Finn for free, or make a donation and cast more votes.
“We’re trying to get to first or second” place to advance further, Finn said.
The contest began March 30 and runs through early June, with each round narrowing the field further. Advancement depends on finishing first within each group or qualifying through wildcard rounds where voting resets.
The winner receives $20,000, a feature in Ranger Rick magazine and a wildlife experience with conservationist Jeff Corwin.
For Finn said he’s pretty excited to be in a national contest.
Support has come from both classmates and adults at his school.
“A lot of the grown-ups in my school are voting for me,” he said.
Looking ahead
Finn doesn’t miss a beat when asked what he wants to be when he grows up. “A vet,” he said.
More specifically, he talks about working with wildlife at places he has learned about through documentaries and books.
“I want to work at the Alaska Raptor Center and the Georgia Aquarium,” he said.
At home in Southold, that goal means lots of time outside, watching animals and learning as he goes.
With his little brother Sam, he swims in local waters and explores trails whenever he can.
“I like fishing and swimming,” he said, recalling the time he caught his first porgy, which his father cooked that night for dinner.
For now, Finn’s focus remains on what’s right in front of him — the birds overhead, the animals nearby and the fish in the water.
And, as his mother sees it, that’s where it matters most.
“All of the small efforts that we can make … will continue to make a big difference,” she said.