Photo: from our new transfer Chelsea Trice

Interview by Stephanie Gardner
How long have you been involved in the Virginia Master Naturalists program? 
Since spring 2015!

What were some of your favorite past volunteer and leadership projects with VMN?
Favorite volunteer project: volunteering at Camp Albemarle under the watchful eye of Lauriston DaMitz, TJSWCD, who was also an RMN and several other AMAZING RMN volunteers (Marilyn Smith and Ida Swensen)…where I spent most of my time in the stream with kids and bugs!! That kind of trailed into spending more time in the streams doing some citizen science. This amazing experience at Camp Albemarle turned into a seasonal job!

In what areas will you continue to volunteer or are looking forward to exploring?
Anything to do with plants, nature, education, water and macros, and maybe art!!

Do you have any favorite memories of amazing, odd or funny moments in your VMN training and volunteer work thus far?
I honestly think that I owe my mom a big one–she told me that I needed to keep myself busy as I was finishing school, but the last thing that I wanted to do was go to these late training classes after dinner all the way in town…fast forward to the present day where all of my jobs have spun out of those experiences at Camp Albemarle. I now work at the Conservation District in Harrisonburg, try to keep in touch with Lauriston as much as I can, and even try to catch up with her at VASWCD training events!!

Please tell us about other interests and hobbies that you enjoy.
I enjoy getting outside–hiking, camping, hammock-ing, and gardening! Bonus points if I can do these things with friends and family. I also love to bake and cook and do just about every artistic thing you can come up with. I definitely don’t do it enough, but I also like to read and do puzzles (before my cat knocks all the pieces off the table!). All said and done, my true love lies with a boat on the water.