Name: Suzanne Kahn Eder
What is your expertise or focus area?
The intertidal zone has been a focus in the past, but I find that I am becoming more and more generalized in my “focus” area! There is no end to what the natural world has to teach us and my interests are wide and varied. At the Wells Reserve, we have beach habitat, forests, fields, and salt marsh. These habitats and their inhabitants are my teachers.
My position as Education Director involves the coordination of the Reserve’s educational programming. This includes public programs, school programs, exhibit design, interpretive signs, and teacher trainings.
What education, training, and experiences led you to your current job with the NERRS?
After graduating from Dickinson College with a degree in environmental science, I worked as an interpretation/environmental education ranger at Acadia National Park for several years. I led boat cruises, hikes, family programs, and school programs throughout this coastal park for people of all ages. In the off-seasons, I drove cross country to work as a naturalist at YMCA Camp Seymour, a residential environmental camp for middle school students on Puget Sound in Washington. Prior to my position at the Wells Reserve, I spent seven years as the Science Coordinator at the Children’s Museum of Maine, where I gained valuable experience developing outreach environmental science kits, exhibit components, and interactive programs for children. I also recently completed my masters degree in ecological teaching and learning through the Audubon Expedition Institute at Lesley University.
What are some interesting aspects of your job?
I currently have lots of creative, exciting projects! I am developing a self-guided trail booklet for young children and their families, working with a local illustrator to help make the pages come alive. I am also working with our education team to develop an elementary school program in partnership with a local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center. In addition, we are redesigning our Visitor Center exhibits, working with an Exhibits Committee and exhibit design company to tell the story of landscape change at the Wells Reserve.
What is the most unusual or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while working with or in estuaries?
One morning last fall, I was exploring the estuary with a group of students. We were using nets to collect plankton to later investigate with microscopes back at the lab. Each student took a turn tossing the net into the water, then reeled it back in to collect the plankton in a bucket. One student forgot to hold onto the end of the rope, so the whole net went floating down the river. I went in after it, up to my waist in water, and walked back to the lab very wet! This was definitely unexpected, and gave the students a good laugh, too!
What is your proudest achievement in your job?
I feel very proud to be working at a National Estuarine Research Reserve, helping people to learn about the environment and estuaries. With a greater understanding and appreciation comes a heightened sense of respect and stewardship. The more people that visit the Wells Reserve and discover its many treasures, the better our community will be.
|
 |