Women Leading Conservation

Growing up near Chicago, my “nature” existed in my small urban yard and the grassy areas that surrounded picnic pavilions at local parks. Nature’s true beauty and diversity was something I thought was only real in the Amazon rainforest I saw in Scholastic magazines at the library. It wasn’t until 2013 after participating in a volunteer event collecting seed at a TNC Illinois-owned site that I realized how much natural beauty I had missed out on while growing up in “The Prairie State.” Standing on that knob as a volunteer surrounded by smiling stewards, seeds and sunshine sparked an everlasting passion in me to conserve, protect and connect communities to their local natural areas. That volunteer event jump started my career in conservation that began as a graduate field biologist researcher at that same site.

As the community and conservation specialist for TNC Ohio, the most meaningful part of my work is the opportunity to center the voices and actions of others. My work with youth has been particularly inspiring and really illuminates the opportunity we have to change our surroundings for the better. Each time I work with people in any kind of “nature” or natural area, I become newly inspired and recommitted to equity in conservation. Not everyone has the same access to nature and green space, and part of my role involves helping think through how we change that. Creating access and engaging diverse voices in our work will improve how we approach conservation across the globe.

My passion for restoration was cemented at the Fernald Preserve, a former uranium processing site in Hamilton, Ohio that was cleaned up under the government program called CERCLA and turned into a nature preserve. I came on board as a restoration ecologist just as the land was being certified “clean” and ecological restoration started. Over time, what was once barren land transformed into a grand symphony of life. Tall grass prairies and wetlands came back, and with them came dickcissels, mergansers, golden eagles, cricket frogs, spotted salamanders and even bobcats. Not only did the animals return, but so did the people. Birders from all over the map, school children, running groups, university classes, birthday parties and community organizations all flocked to the land.

Some of my fondest childhood memories are playing in the woods behind my grandparents’ house and camping with my family. Yet, conservation wasn’t a career I ever considered, possibly because in the small town where I grew up outdoor careers weren’t “for women.” It wasn’t until college that I saw a woman in science leadership role, Dr. Ann Gunkel, the program director at Cincinnati State. Her success, leadership, intelligence and respect for those around her was an inspiration and changed the course of my career. For the first time, I saw a woman leading in science and engineering and could envision this for myself.  She served as my mentor and fostered the confidence I needed to pursue a science degree and to take on the challenges of the world in which we live.

I grew up in Michigan and very quickly fell in love with nature. I studied fisheries and wildlife at Michigan State University and held a wide variety of internships and technician positions, from zooplankton lab research to aquatic biology fieldwork to freshwater policy. While I was in graduate school at Plymouth State University, I became very passionate about freshwater restoration, particularly removing barriers to aquatic organism passage, like dams and undersized culverts. My uncle is a member of the Michigan chapter of TNC, and all throughout college, I aspired to work at TNC. I applied for many, many TNC jobs across the country, but one job stood out in particular: a role working with TNC’s Ohio Mitigation Program (OMP), restoring streams and wetlands across the state of Ohio. In preparation for the interview, I channeled my inner Leslie Knope (from the TV show Parks and Rec) and pulled together a binder on the OMP and any materials I could find on mitigation in Ohio. I was absolutely thrilled to be hired for the position, and working at TNC has been everything I hoped it would be.

My favorite project to date is the Brinkhaven Dam Removal project in Knox County. The OMP funded the removal of a low head dam on the Mohican River, which is a state-designated scenic river. The dam had blocked aquatic organism passage and created a safety hazard for paddlers for more than a century and was no longer serving its original purpose as a mill dam. We had so many wonderful partners who supported the project, especially ODNR Division of Wildlife, Knox County Park District and ODNR Scenic Rivers. In summer 2024, we’ll be installing a dozen huts to supplement habitat for the eastern hellbender, a state-endangered large amphibian found living not far downstream of the former dam.

I joined the team at The Nature Conservancy to share my passion for nature and sustainable agriculture. My focus is promoting practices to build soil health and manage water to increase farm profit, decrease nutrients leaving the fields and increase carbon storage. I’m currently developing the Farmer Advocate for Conservation program to create and support farmer-to-farmer peer groups. I’ve spent the past 20 years working with Soil and Water Conservation Districts on watershed planning, project implementation and environmental education. My education includes a Bachelor of Science in environmental education, communication and interpretation from the Ohio State University, a Master of Education in secondary science from Bloomsburg University and a Registered Yoga Teacher Certification. I live next to Mud Creek on a restored native prairie wetland with my three children and my husband, Scott, who farms with his parents and sister. My superpower is empathy, which I try to harness to understand different perspectives and create effective partnerships in my work.

After finishing a B.S. in natural resources from Ohio State, I worked a series of seasonal positions in the western U.S. studying avian ecology. I was eager to study birds in graduate school but ended up finding a great opportunity at Murray State University in Kentucky looking at the effects of herbicides on aquatic invertebrates. After completing my M.S. in watershed science, I returned to Ohio to be closer to family. I then worked in environmental consulting, where I worked on stream and wetland permitting and managed stream and wetland restoration projects. While I was a consultant, it became clear to me that I was most passionate about conservation and was looking to re-align my career. I have always regarded TNC highly, so I was very excited to accept the position as the Northeast Ohio restoration manager.

I’m passionate about ecological restoration as I see the boundless opportunities for us to reverse human impacts to nature and set ecosystems on a trajectory to recovery. I enjoy that every project offers a new challenge, and there is always something to learn. I’m proud that Ohio is investing in natural infrastructure, particularly wetland restoration projects—I love wetlands, and it’s been an honor to manage projects funded by ODNR’s H2Ohio program. One of my first projects in western Ohio was particularly rewarding because our restored wetlands filled with water almost immediately, and the wildlife quickly moved in. There were always interesting waterfowl and shorebirds using the former agricultural fields.