Summer in the North Country is a special thing - we live in a beautiful place, and enjoy the company great people and warm (but usually not too warm!) weather. Plus, there is an abundance of good swimming holes, if you know where to look. Here at Nature Up North, summer is a chance for us to put extra energy into creating interesting workshops and events to support community and family outdoor adventures and learning. 

This summer our incredible crew of summer interns put on more than 30 programs & workshops, met hundreds of community friends, drove over 1400 miles, and saved a record number of turtles from the threats of county highways along the way. Here are some departing thoughts from each of them as they head off on their next adventures. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful summer!

-Emlyn Crocker, Project Manager

I enjoyed a summer filled with adventure in the North Country - the place I call ‘Home’. As the Senior Summer Naturalist for Nature Up North, I spent my summer working on our emerald ash borer citizen science project, the Community Ash Tree Survey. From outreach events at farmers markets, to public programs like tree walks, I engaged with the public to educate them about the risks and environmental harm associated with the tiny, invasive beetle. I was most excited about creating a video project, which includes everything you needs to know about emerald ash borer in the North Country! Like the rest of the Nature Up North Staff, Ice Cream Fridays were surely a highlight of my summer. I most enjoyed co-leading hikes to Tooley Pond Road and Stone Valley during our Waterfall Series. From my work Nature Up North, I now feels further connected with this place and its people. Next, I'm off to pursue a Master’s Degree in the Global Environmental Policy program at American University in Washington, D.C.

-Jess LaMay '18, Senior Summer Naturalist 

I am so proud to have spent my time this summer working for Nature Up North. As an outdoor enthusiast, I've found that incorporating my passion into teaching and discovery has allowed me to foster learning within the North Country and within myself. I am excited to further my love for outdoor education and I'm thrilled that Nature Up North has provided me such a substantial launching point. 

-Alyssa LaCoy '20, Summer Naturalist

I want to thank Nature Up North for an amazing summer! Boiling plants for hours to make paper, sketching bird-song sounds, wrestling canoes and identifying water plants, hunting for pineapple-weed, mapping elusive trails, designing programs and t-shirts, writing and taking photographs – I got the chance to do so many different things, and every single one of them taught me something new. Most of all, I loved leading paddles and programs – I loved going through all the planning and finally seeing the smiles on my participants’ faces. I’m sad to leave, but I can’t complain too much because I’ll be spending this coming semester studying polar biology in Copenhagen, Denmark.

-Maggie Jensen '20, Summer Naturalist