Meet the Student Conservation Association Interns!

You can still get out and enjoy an inspirational program in some Vermont State Parks.  Programs are expanded into the fall this year, with three Student Conservation Association Interns offering visitor programming and school programs in parks well into November. The SCA, founded in 1957, gives young people the opportunity to make a real impact and lasting effects on our natural world and in our communities, by connecting them with meaningful internship opportunities. Vermont State Parks is lucky to have these three to further the reach of our mission in inspiring environmental stewardship and connections with the land.




Want to get to know them better?

 Cat Cook is working at Lake St Catherine State Park in Poultney:

I go by Cat and I was born in Cleveland, Ohio. I recently graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a B.S. in Geology. I love to travel and be outdoors. Some of my favorite things to do are long-distance backpacking, kayaking, fishing, teaching, and baking. I'm very interested in natural history and environmental science, and love both learning new things as well as sharing my knowledge with others.





Nate Howard is at Lake Shaftsbury State Park in Shaftsbury:

A recent graduate of Tulane University, Nate is thrilled to be a member of Vermont State Parks’ SCA team.  Raised on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Nate has been an avid outdoorsman since his swaddling days, frequently hiking, biking, birdwatching, and collecting insects until day’s end.  He enjoys singing, playing guitar, and listening to music in his spare time, as well as watching sci-fi, fantasy, and martial arts movies.  Nate hasn’t spent a full winter in the Northeast in 4 years and is quite apprehensive about the cold weather, and is currently considering ways to help his poor car overcome the expected dousing of snow.  In the future, Nate aspires to carry out biological research and/or become a member of National Geographic’s traveling photography team.  For now, however, he will enjoy serving as an environmental educator/jungle gym for local children.

Maura Lowrie is at DAR State Park in Addison:

Maura is from western Pennsylvania near the Pittsburgh area. She is a music education graduate who loves spending time outdoors, especially kayaking and backpacking. Before serving with the SCA, Maura had been involved in Venture Scouts where her love of the outdoors was fostered through teaching kids the joy of canoeing and camping in the Canadian bush country of Kipawa, Quebec. At her local YMCA, Maura is a lifeguard, teaches lifeguard courses, and teaches swim lessons. Maura has a strong love for teaching others, especially in teaching from her growing knowledge of the natural world and her experience in outdoor skills.
Most recently, Maura served with the Massachusetts AmeriCorps program, where she learned how to build many different trail structures and developed leadership skills in leading trail crews in order to build and maintain sustainable trails throughout the state of Massachusetts. Maura is excited to work as an educational interpreter for Vermont State Parks this fall, reaching out to local schools and the surrounding communities to bring hands-on environmental education opportunities and a stronger connection with the natural world to those communities.

By Guest Blogger Rebecca Roy

Conservation Education Coordinator

Vermont State Parks