2008-2009 Student Naturalists

Katie Blanchard '10 is a History major and ENTS concentrator who loves the wide vistas of the prairie, quite a different landscape from the deep north woods of her hometown, Petoskey, Michigan. She is particularly interested in natural/environmental history and the interactions of humans with the land through agriculture and water use. She spends much of her time growing vegetables in the backyard of Farm House and working to expand the garden to provide a bounty of hyper-local food to the Carleton dining halls. She loves being in the arb through the seasons--autumn leaves turning, winter snow drifts, the muddy springtime rising river and the constantly blooming, changing summer prairie.

Chelsea Clifford '10 is a biology major and ENTS concentrator who came to Carleton from a salt marsh in Gloucester, Virginia for perspective, particularly about her role on the planet as a human.  She enjoys getting her feet wet, moments of revelation about how nature works, and sharing what she finds beautiful.

John Kraus '10 is a psychology major from Decorah, Iowa, where he often sneaked off to play in the woods in order to avoid working on his family's organic farm.  His favorite Arb activities include running, catching crayfish, and munching on gooseberries.  He is especially interested in researching the history of the Arboretum, learning about land restoration, and getting other students at Carleton excited about the Arb.

Mira Alecci ‘11 grew up in a household of recreational naturalists and learned to recognize her first species of birds and trees from her father, who teaches junior high school. Although she has very little experience in the field or in the biology classroom and lab she is eager to learn and loves the outdoors, even in cold or rainy weather. She was introduced to student naturalists during arb crew while learning to identify and collect seeds from prairie plants and decided to cultivate an interest that, until that point had had little scope for expression.

Adrienne Wilber '11 is a Geology major from Sitka, Alaska. Her favorite forest is the Tongass National Rain Forest which surrounds her home. She wishes the Arb had more totem poles, but she thinks it makes up for it in flowers. She is especially interested in the different types of forest which make up the Arb and finding new and interesting places with in it.

Callie Millington '12 hails from Salt Lake City, Utah. She's been obsessed with the arb since it saved her sanity during new student week, and looks forward to learning all about it as a student naturalist. She's especially excited about eventually being able to identify the grasses and trees that grow there.

Owen McMurtrey '12 grew up on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, where he developed an interest in birds at a young age. During high school, Owen's interest in birds matured and, thanks to a few vacations, he has now seen over 425 species of birds in North America. Of late, Owen has focused on butterflies, dragonflies and other insects because they give him something new to look for when he's out in the field. Owen is thrilled to be attending Carleton because the opportunity to enjoy nature in the Arb is within a minute's walk. Whether birding, looking for bugs, or just hiking, Owen is consistently amazed by the beauty and size of the Arb.

Kelsey Ross '12 has plenty of enthusiasm for the outdoors, whether it be for the Appalachian Mountains in her native North Carolina, her backyard garden, or the Cowling Arboretum. She enjoys cross country skiing through the Arb, looking for wildlife, and learning about the history of the Arb and the current prairie restoration efforts. During warm weather, Kelsey can often be found poking around by the river-bank, looking at shells, playing in the water and getting extremely muddy.