Education Department Welcomes New Seasonal Naturalist

 Hello and welcome!  My name is Emily Cavell…I am the newest edition to the wonderful team of staff and volunteers at Audubon South Carolina’s Francis Beidler Forest.  During my first few weeks here, I have learned a great deal about the richly diverse ecosystems of Four Holes Swamp, its riparian zones, and surrounding uplands.  I feel very lucky to have been granted the opportunity to spend the next few months working as a seasonal naturalist under the Together Green Fellowship, made possible by the combined efforts of the National Audubon Society and Toyota.  Many thanks!

A little about me…I am a recent graduate of the College of Charleston with a B.S. in biology.  I moved to Charleston from the Midwest in 2002, and have spent my time in the Lowcountry exploring the southeastern seaboard and its countless ecological, historical, and cultural treasures.  I’ve had great opportunities to work with local grassroots and governmental organizations such as the Save the Angel Oak campaign, supported by the Coastal Conservation League and South Carolina Sierra Club, the City of Charleston Green Committee, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.  I have also enjoyed working with organizations outside of Charleston, including the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, the New York Public Interest Research Group in Manhattan, and Channel Islands Outfitters in southern California. 

These combined experiences have created unmatched platforms for multi-faceted learning, inquiry, and exploration.  I hope to continue building and engaging an active community of environmental stewards, and am highly motivated to work with citizen-based action groups toward progressive environmental goals for the 21^st century.  Thank you for reading!  Take a bit of time to plan a visit out to Francis Beidler Forest…this is a place of limitless inspiration!  Bring a friend, your children, a sketchbook, your camera, or simply your eyes and ears, and experience the wonder of FBF today!

As part of her TogetherGreen grant, Emily will be conducting a community-action project involving high school students.  For Emily's project, students at Ashley Ridge High School will be planning and preparing a nature trail, identifying and cataloging the flora and fauna around the trail, preparing  informational materials (research, content, photography, video, artwork, webpage, brochure, etc.) regarding the trail, and mapping all aspects of the project using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies.