DBOC Dashboard - Meet Our Team

Meet Our Team

Jessie

School Programs Coordinator

Why did you choose to become an outdoor educator?

2 reasons:

#1: I want to spend as much time in nature as possible.

#2: I want everyone else to spend as much time in nature as possible.

Growing a relationship with the natural world enriches our lives in so many ways. I’m passionate about helping people, especially young folks, connect with nature and experience the benefits of spending time outdoors.

Please share a memorable moment you have had in nature.

After a big snowfall, I stumbled across otter tracks at the DBOC. Following the tracks led me from the banks of the Meramec River, through a forest, across the DBOC campus, along a prairie, through a wetland, all the way to a creek. Altogether, the otter loped over ½ mile of land to get from one water source to the next! What I loved most, though, was that at every downhill slope, the otter's footprints transformed into belly slides!

Besides Shaw Nature Reserve, where is another natural space that you enjoy spending time?

Engelmann Woods Natural Area in Franklin County is one of my favorite spots. It’s a beautiful (and rare) example of an old-growth forest. It reminds me of a fairyland, and each time I visit, it fills me with awe and wonder.

How has spending time in nature improved your life?

Being present in nature grounds me and fills me with joy, inspiration, wonder, and awe. Whether I'm exploring the Nature Reserve or appreciating the small wonders in my own backyard, as long as I’m paying close attention, nature never fails to remind me of how beautiful and brimming with life the world is.

Beth

Outdoor Educator

Why did you choose to become an outdoor educator?

I became a nature-lover when I was in high school and that love of nature inspired me to want to connect others with the natural world, especially young people. This quote has been important to me throughout my life. Its meaningful message is what motivates and inspires me to do this work. "In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught." Baba Dioum

Please share a memorable moment you have had in nature.

While hiking at Shaw one day, I stopped to take in the view of bottomland forest. That is when my eyes met the eyes of a giant buck (male deer). He had a huge pair of antlers! After a few seconds, he began making a ‘huffing’ sound that echoed all around me. It was a special moment that I will always remember:)

Besides Shaw Nature Reserve, where is another natural space that you enjoy spending time?

Red Bluff Rec Area is a beautiful little area located alongside Huzzah Creek. I appreciate any opportunity to walk in or near water. I also love sitting on a gravel bar searching for cool rocks and fossils.

How has spending time in nature improved your life?

I am never bored! Nature is endlessly fascinating. I can simply step out my door and find a world filled with wonder and awe.

Gabby

Outdoor Educator

Why did you choose to become an outdoor educator?

As a kid, I hated being outside. I never got the opportunity to explore the outdoors nor did I have

anyone in my life to model the many types of ways to be in nature. One thing I did love was education and working with kids, so I got into conservation education, which was more animal focused. I LOVED it and my path kept unfolding from there. To teach about animals, you have to learn about them, to learn about animals you have to understand their environments, to understand their environments, you have to also understand the communities and cultures around these animals. As I got more comfortable with these ideas and exploring

habitats, I learned just how biodiverse our own neighborhoods are. It took a lot of years to get to my comfortability in nature and I want to bridge that gap for the kids in my Missouri community. I am excited to have the opportunity to show how there are so many different ways to be in nature and how magical each blade of grass, clump of soil, and birdsong is.

Please share a memorable moment you have had in nature.

On my second day, as an Outdoor Educator at Shaw, I got a glimpse of a beaver! It was so amazing and even more cool to know that it was a rare sight to see!

Besides Shaw Nature Reserve, where is another natural space that you enjoy spending time?

I adore Tower Grove Park! It’s so accessible and beautiful especially for me and my fellow South City neighbors

How has spending time in nature improved your life?

I genuinely believe that spending time in nature has allowed me to blossom into my true self. I feel so at peace in any natural setting. Nature allows us to connect with ourselves and others. A connection to the Earth is a language that each of us can understand.

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