August 2024 Volunteer of the Month
August 07, 2024
Laura Whalen’s passion for the outdoors and the Albany Pine Bush along with her commitment as a volunteer naturalist has earned her the title Volunteer of the Month for August 2024.
Laura noted working with staff makes her feel “part of a community that cares about nature and its important role in our lives”
By Sarah Reilly
With 60 reports completed on hikes that are filled with great information and interesting finds, the preserve has benefitted from having Laura be part of the team since 2022.
Residing in Guilderland with her husband, Laura currently runs her own freelance business, and is a semi-retired grant writer having worked in a variety of positions in education. She is an all-around lover of the outdoors: she skis, snowshoes, hikes and enjoys swimming in wild places- like in their camp on the Sacandaga River in the Adirondacks. Last year summer she received a credential as a Certified Wild Mushroom Forager, as she enjoys amateur mycology. She also writes poetry and is often inspired by the natural world.
Being a naturalist at the preserve is a flexible way to volunteer, which is an aspect Laura enjoys. Naturalists are trained and work with staff, particularly nominator Pammi Price- Preserve Naturalist and Educator. Laura noted working with staff makes her feel “part of a community that cares about nature and its important role in our lives”, and that her time spent volunteering is “not something I have to do, it’s something I look forward to doing”. Laura is frequently out in the preserve and diligent about completing trail reports, which is a helpful resource for staff and other volunteers alike to stay on top of all that is happening in the preserve. Pammi noted how “we are lucky to be the benefactors of Laura’s knowledge and interest in the Pine Bush.”
This August, Laura is enjoying blooming Monardas and her walks on Blueberry Hill East & West. She delights in trail walks and the many plants, animals and landscapes seen on her visits, along with meeting people who are benefiting from being outside enjoying nature. When asked about a cherished memory of her time here, she shared a lovely story from “Spring 2023, while doing a trail walk in the Great Dune area, my husband and I heard an amazing bird song for the first time. We listened to this trill, like a complex musical composition. We just appreciated! I am a beginning birder so I have started by using the Merlin app to ID bird song… The next time I walked on the trail, I was ready with the app and it identified the bird as a prairie warbler, one of the iconic preserve migratory species. Such a joy to have experienced it and then taken steps to ID it. Now I need to see it and make a visual ID!”
Return to list.
