Abbey (she/her) is an AmeriCorps member serving at Catamount Institute as an Education Specialist. Being a third generation Coloradan, she has grown up among the wildflowers and wildlife of this great state. As a child, she could always be found in the yard, leaving no stone unturned, looking for any critter she could find. She is slightly bigger now, wanting to share that passion of exploration and life with those around her. Abbey is committed to helping cultivate and expand kids' interest in the outdoors, teaching and learning alongside them. She looks forward to serving at Catamount Institute, and the opportunity to contribute to the Colorado Springs community.

 

Autumn (she/her) is an AmeriCorps member serving at the Catamount Institute as an Education Specialist. She is a 2022 graduate from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and pursued a B.A. in Inclusive Elementary Education. Autumn spent most of her childhood with mountains in her backyard, both the Rockies and Appalachians, fueling her love for the outdoors. Since spending her time outdoors all over the country, teaching others about different places became a passion at a young age. Throughout her career she has brought a passion for learning to students of all ages from zealous preschoolers to reluctant high schoolers in and out of a classroom. Autumn is enthralled to take her teaching to a rain or shine outdoor environment and learn alongside eager students. When Autumn is not at work you will find her in the local thrift stores flipping through books and clothing racks, playing games with her friends, and dancing in the rain (whenever she can)!

 

Brookelynn (she/her) is a Fort Lewis College graduate and has been living in Durango since 2017. She is excited to be the new Bridging Mountains Environmental Education Coordinator for Mountain Studies Institute within her community of Durango, CO. Brookelynn is originally from Michigan, and is excited to be working with watershed quality and climate change research for her position. She is also looking forward to gaining experience with youth and adult education programming, and to improve MSI's citizen science programming.

 

Cassidy Powell (she/her) is serving as an Environmental Education Coordinator with Mountain Studies Institute in Durango, CO. Cassidy graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Recreation Tourism Management, an emphasis in Outdoor Resource Management, as well as a minor in Counseling and Social Change. With a passion for the outdoors, Cassidy has worked as a field guide in wilderness therapy, environmental education, and outdoor adventures for both youth and adults. Cassidy enjoys her time in nature by going on many hiking and backpacking trips. She is looking forward to sharing her passion for the environment to help support a more sustainable future.

 

Corrine (she/her) is serving with CSU Spur in Denver, CO as an Education Associate. A recent graduate from East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, Corrine pursued a degree in environmental studies with a minor in park and recreation management. This past summer, Corrine was selected to receive a UDC recreation award after creating a series of six water safety infographic posters during her park ranger internship with Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. In her free time, Corrine is a professional mermaid performer, where she's gained most of her valuable experience with children. With a passion for environmental education, Corrine is excited to join the CSU Spur team to create and facilitate innovative educational programs.

 

Drew Bussanmas (she/her) is serving as an Assistant Teacher at Thorne Nature Preschool. She recently graduated from Colorado Mesa University with a degree in environmental science and a minor in Spanish. Drew spent 2022 getting her Forest School Teacher certification through FSTI and working at the Wilderness Awareness School summer day camp in Washington. She and her dog recently moved back home to Louisville where she went to high school. Drew is excited to spend more time on the trails she knows and in familiar ecosystems that she has so much more to learn about!

Emma Kate (she/her) is serving with Bluff Lake Nature Center as an Environmental Educator as part of CAEE's eeCorps Program. Emma Kate developed her deep love for the outdoors while hiking, camping, and swimming in her home state of Alabama, where she received her Bachelors of Science degree with a major in Environmental Science at the University of Alabama in 2021. Throughout her career, she has worked with many conservation-based youth development programs such as YMCA summer camp and TeamWorks, and is looking forward to connecting Denver youth to the environment and their community in Colorado and to further grow her skills in developing and facilitating education curriculum at BLNC. Emma Kate is devoted to sharing her passion for the environment with youth in order to create a more sustainable future through experiential education. In her free time, Emma Kate enjoys exploring Colorado, hiking as often as she can, reading nature books, and spending time with her husband and cats.

 

Katie Martins (she/her) is an Environmental Education Corps member serving at Catamount Institute in Colorado Springs. She is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs with a degree in geography and environmental studies and a certificate in geospatial information science. Katie grew up in Colorado hiking, biking, and climbing with a strong passion for sustainable food systems and recreation. Katie is excited to share in educational experiences with youth to foster confidence, respect, and care for environmental stewardship. 

 

Lauren (she/her) is serving as an Environmental Educator at Bluff Lake Nature Center. She grew up in Miami, Florida, where she fell in love with nature in the Everglades. She graduated from Colorado College with a B.A. in Environmental Studies in 2021, and, over the past few years, she has led composting workshops and interpretive hikes and has worked in special education, inspiring people to feel more comfortable with their place in the world so they can become agents of change. Lauren is a lifelong learner and has a great appreciation for the beauty of Earth’s biodiversity. You can usually find her getting people excited about nature, working on projects for her master’s in biology, doing puzzles, or looking for animals and plants to photograph.

 

Mackenzie (she/her) is serving her second year with the Outdoor Wilderness Lab (OWL) as a field instructor. She is based in the beautiful Gateway, CO. Mackenzie graduated in 2021 from Saint Louis University with a B.S. in Biology, focusing on ecology and conservation, as well as a minor in Spanish. She has always loved nature, thanks to countless hours as a kid spent watching Steve Irwin's wild, educational adventures on TV. Over the past few years, she has lived in, interned at, and recreationally explored national parks all over the West, educating people, studying wildlife, and hitting the trails. Any day in the outdoors is a great day for Mackenzie! She is beyond excited to continue fostering meaningful relationships between the students and the environment they will be living and learning in, and she can't wait to grow even more along with the OWL program.

 

Meagan (she/her) is serving with the Dinosaur Ridge as a Programs Assistant to help educate and engage others about the preservation and conservation of the environment. She grew up in Apex, North Carolina and attended Appalachian State University in Boone, NC because mountain life was calling her name and she wanted to engage in the community and environment of a mountainous region as well as learning hobbies and outdoor skills and activities that she has now grown to love. She graduated in May 2022 with a major in Sustainable Technology and a double minor in Sustainable Development, and Sustainable Business. She has always had a huge passion for paleontology as a side hobby and loves to learn about them and is super stoked to have the chance to educate about them. She was drawn to serve in Colorado because she wanted a larger, more adventurous version of her college town and she has always wanted to move out west and see what it has to offer. She is really looking forward to serving with the eeCorps and moving to Colorado and serving  at Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison!

 

Miriam (she/her) is serving with the Boulder Valley School District as their Food System Education Program Assistant for a second term. She is thrilled to continue working for the causes she is most passionate about with the experience of the prior term behind her.  From school gardens to school cafeterias, local farms and the BVSD greenhouse, Miriam will be serving students across the district on the wide-ranging topic of food and our footprint. When she's not in the kitchen innovating a meal from a random collection of ingredients or feeding her sourdough starter for the next batch of bread, she can be found exploring natural areas and questing for a refreshing stream of water to relax by.

 

Nellie (she/her) serves as an environmental educator at The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies in Brighton, Colorado. She is a recent graduate of Sewanee: The University of the South, where she earned her B.A. in Environmental Arts and Humanities, a transdisciplinary field that seeks to understand and improve human-nature relationships. As a long-time bird lover, nature writer, and wilderness explorer, Nellie is thrilled to share her environmental passions and knowledge of the outdoors with others, especially young people. She experienced first-hand the infectious wonder, intelligence, and curiosity that children bring with them to natural and creative spaces while working as an assistant farm teacher and an art gallery tour guide in the past. Nellie is also eager to grow as a professional, an educator, and as an environmentalist. Having spent most of her life in rural Massachusetts, many of the ecosystems and species unique to the western U.S. remain an exciting mystery to Nellie and present opportunities for research and discovery! When she’s not busy dreaming about trees and sniffing flowers, Nellie can be found rock-hopping along the river that runs through her hometown, hiking with her scruffy dog, Pumpkin, reading and writing, and laughing with friends.

 

Rebecka (she/they) is serving as a Nature Educator with Wild Bear Nature Center.  She grew up loving the outdoors in Minnesota with its abundance of lakes and fun winter activities. She studied English and Chinese at St. Olaf College and was introduced to the world of outdoor and experiential education through summer camp.  Since graduating, she has taught English in China, led canoe and backpacking trips in Wisconsin, and worked in outdoor education in Colorado, and she is thrilled to continue spending time outdoors with others who are curious about the environment. In her free time, Rebecka is excited to climb, read, run, and play in an orchestra as she continues to explore Colorado.

 

Rosie (they/them) is serving with Nature Connection as the Generation Wild Outdoor Educator and is primarily focused on implementing the “Skis for Kids” program. Being born and raised in Colorado, they have always had a connection with the outdoors and an appreciation for the variety of beautiful and unique  landscapes Colorado has to offer. Rosie enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including paddle boarding, hiking, cross country skiing, camping and more. After becoming a river guide in the early spring of 2022, their appreciation and knowledge for the waters and landscapes of Colorado grew even more and they are now even more passionate about taking proactive steps to protect them. They are excited to be in an influential position teaching the kids and families of Delta County and Olathe about how to take care and preserve our unique natural environments, as well as how to safely be a part of the global outdoor community while doing the activities everyone enjoys. They look forward to being a part of fostering a love for nature in everyone they meet and sharing their appreciation for the outdoors. Rosie can typically be found dreaming about being on the river or just being outside.