This volunteer began in 2007 as a visitor center host. Over the years, she has helped plan and staff events including the Fall Festival, Holiday Open House, DL Festival of Birds, Discovery Center Grand Opening, and outreach events including the Friends at the Mall, Annual Photo Contest, and the County Fair. Early on she became part of our environmental education team. Her creativity in developing meaningful activities is so much appreciated. This volunteer has taken advantage of every training opportunity offered. She has even sought out training on her own to become more knowledgeable about wildlife and to gain skills in interpretation. She is a certified Master Naturalist. Being part of our naturalist committee, she has assisted with or has led public interpretive programs. She has also led activities for Boys and Girls Club and Head Start. In 2014, she became our Wild Wednesday coordinator. She presented her own programs, scheduled other volunteers and reported back to refuge staff. She has made sure that her fellow WW volunteers were prepared and had the materials they needed. This program flew to new heights this summer with over 350 children and adults attending! This year she donated nearly 500 hours. Known as the “puppet lady” by our young visitors, she is a joy to work with and an awesome ambassador for Tamarac. Congratulations to our 2015 Volunteer of the Year, Connie Carlson!
Photos from the Volunteer Picnic
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