# data[].attributes.headline
Daniel Auer (he/him) ANCA Director of Programs & Member Services

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Daniel Auer (he/him) ANCA Director of Programs & Member Services

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Hello! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in California very soon. This will be my 5th Annual Summit.

Planning the Summit is so much fun! I'm California dreaming of a great week with all of you wonderful people.

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Environmental Nature Center, East 16th Street, Newport Beach, CA

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Environmental Nature Center, East 16th Street, Newport Beach, CA

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Environmental Nature Center, East 16th Street, Newport Beach, CA

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2025 ANCA Annual Summit, August 25-29 at the Environmental Nature Center (ENC) in Newport Beach, California.

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Asa Duffee, ANCA Director of Marketing & Communications

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Asa Duffee, ANCA Director of Marketing & Communications

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I'm Asa! This will be my fifth in-person Annual Summit. I've never been to California, so I'm super excited to explore Newport Beach and beyond. Especially looking forward to the evening campfires — bring instruments if you play!

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Jen Levy (she/her), ANCA Executive Director, Logan, UT

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Jen Levy (she/her), ANCA Executive Director, Logan, UT

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Hi Everyone, I'm looking forward to seeing you in California! The Environmental Nature Center and ANCA Staff have put together a fantastic week of sessions, workshops, and fun, all designed to help us reconnect with our work and why it matters. I am also looking forward to spending a little time at the beach! What are you looking forward to?

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Lori Whalen (she/her) VP @ Environmental Nature Center

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I'm Mindy Schwartz, Education Director at the Environmental Nature Center. The first nature center I ever worked at was the EEC at Lord Stirling Park in Basking Ridge, NJ. I lived in Georgia for a long time and also worked at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell. This will be my 2nd Summit!

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Blue Lotus Center, County Highway M, West Bend, WI

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Blue Lotus Center, County Highway M, West Bend, WI

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Blue Lotus Center, County Highway M, West Bend, WI

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The Blue Lotus Center is a nonprofit nature center in southeastern Wisconsin for people with disabilities and other profound life challenges. This is our third summit and we are very excited to be here!

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Hi Everyone,

This will be my first summit and I'm happy to be leading a session. Looking forward to sharing all of the wonderful flora and fauna that Southern California has to offer.

See ya soon,

Meg

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South Platte Park and Carson Nature Center, West Carson Drive, Littleton, CO

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Carson Nature Center at South Platte Park- Littleton, Colorado

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Carson Nature Center at South Platte Park- Littleton, Colorado

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Nikki Milkintas (she/her)
-Nature Center and Outdoor Recreation Specialist at Carson Nature Center - South Platte Park-

This is my first year attending, and I’m excited to connect, share ideas, and collaborate with others at this summit!

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Ahmad Alomar (He/Him) Naturalist at Environmental Nature Center, Wildlife Photographer, Birder, Outdoors Enjoyer.

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I’m Kass DeBoer, the Early Childhood Education Specialist at the Environmental Nature Center. This will be my first ANCA summit!  Outside of outdoor education, I love to thrift, make pottery and rollerskate!

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Blue Leopo Community Engagement Coordinator, Environmental Nature Center (ENC)

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1st time attending ANCA !

Interests: Indigenous food ways and plant knowledge, ancestral connections with nature

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Miss Waffles the CA Desert Tortoise, Environmental Nature Center (ENC)

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Can't wait to meet everyone!

xoxo,

Miss Waffles

Environmental Nature Center (ENC)

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The Nature Institute, S Levis Ln, Godfrey, IL

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The Nature Institute, S Levis Ln, Godfrey, IL

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The Nature Institute, S Levis Ln, Godfrey, IL

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Lauren Scull (She/Her)

I am the Director of Education at The Nature Institute in Godfrey, IL. We are a small non-profit with a whopping 6 year round employees. This will be my first Annual Summit! I'm excited to make connections and collaborate with others.

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Hello! My name is Veronica Frehm, CEO of Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach, Florida.

I am excited to connect with everyone at the summit! This will be my third summit -- looking forward to California.

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Veronica Frehm Headshot 2 2025_Final Small copy

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Seth Engelbourg (He Series) LLNF Director of Education and Interpretation

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Seth Engelbourg (He Series) LLNF Director of Education and Interpretation

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Hi All, Looking forward to a fun, engaging, and rewarding Summit! I also enjoy visiting new places and seeing new organizations. California should be a blast! This will be my fourth in-person Summit.

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Hi all! I am the Marketing & Membership Manager at Fenner Nature Center. This work is incredibly rewarding, but there is so much room to grow in fundraising and development. This will be my first ANCA Summit, and I'm excited to be a part of it!

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Hawaii Nature Center, Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, HI

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Hawaii Nature Center, Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, HI

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Hawaii Nature Center, Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, HI

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Aloha, looking forward to connecting with old and new nature center leaders. Happy to be joined this year by our Education Program Manager (Oahu) and Maui Program Manager (Maui)

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Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Smoky Bay Way, Homer, AK

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Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Homer, AK

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Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, Homer, AK

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Shannon Moore (she/her), School Program and Field Station Coordinator with CACS, an environmental ed non-profit with multiple locations around Kachemak Bay.

Alabama transplant living in Alaska since 2018. Often found looking under rocks. Very excited for my second summit and some 70º weather!

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Mequon Nature Preserve, West County Line Road, Mequon, WI

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Tree seedling planting in one of the newest fields taken out of agricultural.  

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Mequon Nature Preserve, West County Line Road, Mequon, WI

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Mequon Nature Preserve, West County Line Road, Mequon, WI

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Hello! My name is Amanda and I am the Ecological Outreach Manager at Mequon Nature Preserve! Mequon Nature Preserve is a nonprofit nature preserve located on the border of Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties. We have 510 acres of land with 6 miles of trails that are free and open every day to explore! This is my first summit, but MNP has attended in the past!

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Linda Loring Nature Foundation, Eel Point Road, Nantucket, MA

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Linda Loring Nature Foundation, Eel Point Road, Nantucket, MA

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Linda Loring Nature Foundation, Eel Point Road, Nantucket, MA

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Hi All ~ I'm Kitty Pochman, Executive Director of the LLNF. This will be my 17th Summit and I am excited to return to ENC and to learn with my colleagues from around the country. Look forward to birding and botanizing in southern CA.

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Hello ANCA Friends! I am excited to see many of you again and join you for this incredible learning experience. This is my second year at the Summit, and I can hardly wait. I learned so much last year, and I know this year will be even better.

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Kreher Preserve & Nature Center, North College Street, Auburn, AL

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Spending time with my best friend, Blue.

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Hiya! I'm Michael. I am a naturalist with a passion for being immersed in nature. I have been director of the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center for 7 years now. Looking forward to exploring southern California ecosystems!!

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Cooper Center for Environmental Learnings, West Trails End Road, Tucson, AZ

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Cooper Center for Environmental Learnings, West Trails End Road, Tucson, AZ

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Cooper Center for Environmental Learnings, West Trails End Road, Tucson, AZ

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Really excited for this year's conference! Looking for great new ways to think about our operations, programs, and facilities.

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Louisville Nature Center, Illinois Avenue, Louisville, KY

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Rebecca Minnick (she/her), Exec. Dir., Louisville Nature Center, Louisville, KY

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Rebecca Minnick (she/her), Exec. Dir., Louisville Nature Center, Louisville, KY

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LNC is a small, urban nature center with an 80 acre forest and a forest school. I can't wait to escape the miserable Louisville heat!!!, connect with everyone, learn, and be re-inspired. Also looking forward to the music and exploring the Southern CA landscape.

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Blackland Prairie Raptor Center, Brockdale Park Road, Lucas, TX

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Marla Layne, Community Engagement Director for the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center in the Dallas area (Lucas, TX).

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Theresa Cullen

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Hi everyone, I'm Kay Carlson, formerly the President & CEO of the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes (15 years). I'm currently doing some consulting as a nonprofit coach, advisor and peer group facilitator. I've lost count how many Summits I've attended...this may be my 17th year! I currently serve on the ANCA Board of Directors and love every minute I get to spend with ANCA colleagues. This will be my 2nd Summit at the ENC and I am excited to see what has changed and to explore the beaches and Catalina Island!

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Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, Modjeska Canyon Road, Silverado, CA

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Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, Modjeska Canyon Road, Silverado, CA

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Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, Modjeska Canyon Road, Silverado, CA

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ENC Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary Manager

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I'm retired from a great career in the Nature/Environmental Center field most recently as Supervisor of Natural and Cutural History Education with Jefferson County Open Space in Colorado. I've been to almost every summit and this will be my second summit at the Environmental Learning Center in Newport Beach. ANCA is a great organization and the Summits are a great place to learn and recharge and to meet and have fun with your peers and freinds. Looking forward to being there soon.

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Some great views of the Bridger Ridge while biking Bangtail Divide outside of Bozeman, MT

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Hey All, looking forward to meeting everyone! I work for Lake One, we help impact driven organizations meet the demands to thrive in today's digital age. Whenever I'm not working, you can find me running, biking, hiking, and camping in our beautiful public lands!

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Ed Sirianno, Executive Director, Buffalo Audubon & Beaver Meadow Nature Center. www.buffaloaudubon.org

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Greetings from Soler Solutions.

I’ll be heading in from the UK, via our Cincinnati HQ to highlight our unique out-of-the-box, plug-and-play, solar powered water movement system, already in use at the Cincinnati Nature Center.

Hopefully I won’t need my brolly during the Summit!

Delighted to meet you and share stories.

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New urban environmental center/nature preserve in Lancaster, PA

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New urban environmental center/nature preserve in Lancaster, PA

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Hello all! I recently started as the Executive Director of Partners for Environmental Stewardship, a new nonprofit organization that is leading the creation of an environmental center and 70-acre urban nature preserve in the City of Lancaster, PA. This is a public-private partnership, and we have 7 environmental nonprofits signed on to have space at the center. We're also pursuing Living Building Challenge for our building standard. I have so much to learn and I look forward to connecting with you all!

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Dunes Learning Center, Howe Road, Porter, IN

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Dunes Learning Center, Howe Road, Porter, IN

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Dunes Learning Center, Howe Road, Porter, IN

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Heather Hahn Sullivan, Executive Director

(not at DLC, but a semi recognizable national park)

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4700 North Griffin Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

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4700 North Griffin Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

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4700 North Griffin Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

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San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA

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San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA

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San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA

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I am so excited to attend my first ANCA Summit! I just celebrated my 20-year work anniversary with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and while the Zoo and Safari Park are not traditional nature centers per se, we did build an Outdoor Learning Lab on site at our research headquarters about 10 years ago that I direct and we continue to expand and enhance that special space each year. Can't wait to learn alongside you all!

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https://www.arch11.com/

Hello! I am a principal architect at Arch11, a Colorado-based firm dedicated to resilient and impactful design.

Currently, I'm working with Wild Bear Nature Center— a net-positive educational facility in Nederland, Colorado. I am passionate about contributing to a range of cultural and sustainably focused projects across the country.

I love turning great ideas into tangible, built realities driven by thoughtful collaboration, meticulous attention to detail, and creative problem-solving.

Looking forward to connecting and sharing ideas with you all!

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Architectural Firms Denver, Building Architect I Arch11

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Award-winning modern architectural design firm reshaping the future of the built environment.

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North American Bison Discovery Center, 17th Street Southeast, Jamestown, ND

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North American Bison Discovery Center, 17th Street Southeast, Jamestown, ND

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North American Bison Discovery Center, 17th Street Southeast, Jamestown, ND

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So excited to attend my first summit! The NABDC is centered on the history, conservation, and resurgence of the North American bison, as well as educating the public using our herds and outdoor classrooms as well as our museum. Looking forward to learning new approaches and tools!

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I'm Jennifer Gammage and I am the Education Garden Coordinator at the Sibley Nature Center in Midland, TX. We celebrate and educate about the Animals and Plants out here on the Llano Estacado. This is my second summit & excited to learn and grow!

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Lewis Kogan (he/him), Exec. Dir. @ Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter, Park City, Utah

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Lewis Kogan (he/him), Exec. Dir. @ Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter, Park City, Utah

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Hi all! Swaner is a 1200-acre nature preserve and 10,000sf nature center at 7,000' on the outskirts of Park City, Summit County Utah, about 30 minutes from Salt Lake City. We started as a grassroots organization in 1993, and became part of Utah State University's Statewide Extension in 2010. I'm a little over a year into my current role, and this will be my first time attending ANCA!

I'm particularly interested in the role nature centers can play supporting health and wellness for our communities, especially marginalized and under-resourced groups and individuals.

About me: I grew up in Montana, I love dancing to live music, I love to laugh, I always stop at roadside history signs, and I enjoy spontaneous urban explorations. I have two young boys, I'm a pretty good cook but terrible at gardening, and yes, I do want your book recommendations.

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Lindsay Gillis, Majestic View Nature Center Director for City of Arvada

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Hello all!

This will be my first ever ANCA event. I am excited to collaborate and discuss with like minded folks.

I am a Jill-of-all-trades in regards to natural resources. From interpretation to park ranger to natural resources management. I hope to find other like minded individuals to discuss success and trials and how they worked through them all.

See you all soon!

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Hi! I am Lisa Starke, Associate Director of the Blue Lotus Center in West Bend, WI. We provide a relaxing day in nature for those who need it most due to profound life challenges. Our focus in on accessibility to nature for all.

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Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center, Owl Avenue, Meadowlands, MN

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Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center, Owl Avenue, Meadowlands, MN

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Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center, Owl Avenue, Meadowlands, MN

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Sparky Stensaas is the founder and executive director of Friends of Sax-Zim Bog (www.SaxZim.org) a non-profit to preserve bog lands for future generations of birds and birders. FOSZB has purchased and protected over 25,000 acres of peatlands and also manages a visitor Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center. Virtual field trip videos are a big part of our outreach and they can be seen on our website or at "Sparky Stensaas" on YouTube.

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Sparky Stensaas bio pic photo Admiral Road feeders Sax-Zim Bog MN IMG_8616 

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Love the scenic iconic Sonoran Desert! I work at the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning, and this will be my second conference :)

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Liz Douglas (she/her), Digital Pollen Collective

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Looking forward to connecting!

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Hi! My name is Kelly Wenzel and I am the Director of Stewardship for New Jersey Audubon. We work to inspire and empower people to care for nature throughout New Jersey and beyond. I look forward to meeting everyone!

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Kathy Kadow, Friends of Oregon Ridge; Maryland

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Hi everyone! I am on the executive board of the Friends of Oregon Ridge in Central Maryland. I handle all communications and programming for this non-profit organization that supports Oregon Ridge Nature Center, an entity of Baltimore County Recreation and Parks. This is my second anca summit and now that I know the ropes, I'm really looking forward to learning from and sharing with other participants.

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Highlands Center for Natural History, Walker Road, Prescott, AZ

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Highlands Center for Natural History, Walker Road, Prescott, AZ

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Highlands Center for Natural History, Walker Road, Prescott, AZ

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A circle is round, it has no end, that's how long I want to learn and be Earth's friend.

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Kalamazoo Nature Center, North Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI

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Kalamazoo Nature Center, North Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI

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Kalamazoo Nature Center, North Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI

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Looking forward to my first ANCA Summit! Heather Graves

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Hi all, I am Shah Selbe. I run a nonprofit environmental sensor company (fieldkit.org) that builds open source sensors that are deployed in nature centers, field stations, and protected areas globally. We have ongoing field projects in the Amazon, Congo Basin, and more. We also do capacity building and training around environmental monitoring and how it can meet your science goals.

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I’m an architect at Hennebery Eddy Architects in Oregon, where I focus on nature-friendly projects. This is my first ANCA conference.

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Hello all! My name is Madyson, and I am the Program Coordinator for Parks and Community Services at the City of Dripping Springs, TX. I focus on connecting Central Texans to nature, recreation, and community.

The is my second year attending ANCA thanks to the scholarship program.

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This is my first conference, and I’m here with two organizations: The Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve and Sky Island School for Nature and the Arts.

At TNC I work with the public doing education and volunteer coordination.

At Sky Island School I’m the nature director, and I’m one of the founders. We just started up our school, so we’re looking to learn about anything and everything!

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Rachael Cowan (she/her) Effie Yeaw Nature Center Interim Director

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Rachael Cowan (she/her) Effie Yeaw Nature Center Interim Director

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This is my second Summit many years after my first in 2016. Happy to be back and connect with everyone.

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I'm a child at heart and landscape architect. Nature is joyful, exhilarating, relaxing, restorative and so much more. We need nature and nature needs us. This is my first ANCA summit and I am looking forward to the next few days - learning from you, seeing ENC, and sharing stories.

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Hi! I’m Molly— I work in marketing and fundraising for Friends of Warner Parks in Nashville :) I grew up in Orange County, though, so I’m excited to be back home for this conference and explore the area through a new lens! This is my first ANCA, but I’ve heard incredible things!! So excited 🤗