FIELD NOTES BLOG

Bryce's Farewell

education2.americorps
August 15, 2024

Seemingly over as soon as it began, my time working as an AmeriCorps Member at Severson Dells will unfortunately come to an end today. When I started at Severson I was simply looking for a seasonal position that was relevant to my career path, but from my first week here I had realized that this position was so much more. However, like the birds you all associate me with, I will be migrating south to embark on the last leg of my academic career. I will be working towards my PhD in wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Florida. 


When I initially started working at Severson I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. Even though I come from a family of educators, I had never worked in such a teaching focused position before, for I had always focused on more wildlife focused positions in the past. But I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed it. Being able to share my knowledge and passion for all aspects of nature was a fulfilling and cathartic experience; a soft skill that has been increasing in need as there has been a growing distrust of the sciences.


The most rewarding aspect comes from the children. We live in a tumultuous time, as society has had to come to come to terms with how we have and are negatively affecting the planet. But seeing the love that children have for the Earth showed me that there is still hope. With the proper teaching, we can nurture the next generation of environment enjoyers and advocates. Working with such a wide range of people has greatly increased my soft skills involving communicate, conflict management, and creativity; all of which aren’t normally prioritized in the scientific community 


This isn't to say that I haven't been able to hone my hard, scientific skills as well. It was an absolute pleasure to help members of the natural resources and community science teams with their work. Having done some herbicide work out west in the past, expanding my library of knowledge involving different invasive species and how to control them is a plus. My inner zoologist was appeased by helping collect frog data during surveys. Further fostering my love for the sciences and providing me with transferable skills for my PhD.


Severson Dells served me as equal parts cradle and canvas, in an abstract sort of way. The seasoned and capable staff were able to teach me so many things about how to be a better educator, scientist, advocate, and team member. They have become more than just coworkers or bosses, but rather mentors and lifelong friends. The work we did has given me opportunities to do more than just follow directions to accomplish a task, but rather lead and create through lesson planning and public programs. Both of which increased my confidence and set me on the path to stand tall as a leader in my field.


All in all, Severson Dells Nature Center has fostered my creativity, collaboration, and humor so much, as well as all the individuals that contribute to it. This job has introduced me to a plethora of incredible individuals, and the personal and professional connections I've made here have shaped me into the person, scientist, communicator, and educator that I am today. No matter how far I move away, Severson Dells will always hold a special place in my heart.


  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button
  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

RECENT ARTICLES

By Linda Sandquist August 7, 2025
As we observe National Make-A-Will Month this August, I want to relate a personal story about preparing my own will. Have you ever heard the saying “the cobbler’s children have no shoes”? Up until a month ago, this statement described me since my husband is a lawyer and we had no will or estate plan. I counted myself in good company when I learned that Abraham Lincoln, Picasso, Sonny Bono, and Aretha Franklin all died without a will. And I had a lot in common with the 72% of Americans who have not officially spelled out what should happen to their assets upon their death. Wills and estate plans are easy to put off. They feel too complicated, too time-consuming and too official. And frankly it’s not much fun to think about who should get what, knowing that at least one person is going to be disappointed and someone will most likely think they were left with the short end of the stick. While a will can’t soothe hurt feelings, one with a named executor will speed up the probate process and ensure that your wishes are fulfilled. Creating a will doesn’t have to be time-consuming or difficult - there are many resources online to help you write a document that needs only to be witnessed and notarized. The resources I found were free, very helpful, and very legal. Steps were simplified and I completed my will in less than an hour. If your wishes are more complicated, finding an estate attorney is also easy and can be very affordable. Another benefit of making a will or estate plan is that you get to decide what charities and nonprofit organizations will receive a final gift from you. If you’ve been a passionate supporter of something over your lifetime, wouldn’t you like to give them a final gift that really means something? It’s easy to direct a certain dollar amount or a certain percentage of your estate to an organization you really care about. And the organization is bound by law to follow your intentions - you can choose whether you want your gift to go to a certain program, operations and overhead, building maintenance, or an endowment fund. Equally as impactful, is making your favorite charitable organization the beneficiary of your retirement fund, IRA, or life insurance policy. Here at Severson Dells Nature Center, we ask that you consider including us in your estate plans. When you do, you become part of our Heritage Society, a group of like-minded folks, dedicated to the future of nature education in our region. Your gift, large or small, will make a difference. In 2016, a bequest from Orville and Ruth Varland to Severson Dells created an endowment fund to support field trips for students from the Rockford Public Schools. The fund has grown over time and continues to make a difference in the lives of young people who come to the Dells, many experiencing nature for the first time. Each year, students who have never been in a forest, seen a natural creek, or sat in the grass are here because of the Varlands. The legacy of Orville and Ruth lives on and on and on. I invite you to celebrate and Make-A-Will this month. Take the time to look for online resources or contact your attorney. Make sure your intentions are clearly written down so that when the time comes, there is no question about what you wanted. Please consider including Severson Dells in your will and join our Heritage Society. And let us know that you included us so we can thank and celebrate you now! If you've already considered Severson Dells in your estate plans, let us know! Email me at linda@seversondells.org or call me at 815-335-2915. * Please note: Severson Dells Education Foundation is not a legal entity and cannot give legal advice. We encourage you to seek out legal advice should you have any questions about the process of making a will or leaving an estate gift. Our Tax ID number is 36-2985870
By Sydney Sherbitsky July 16, 2025
Summer days have an intense energy. For us, it’s easy to pack a lot of activity into long, sunlight-filled days. The atmosphere is packed in a different way, with thick, heavy humidity and sun-baked heat. You have probably experienced one of these particularly sweltering days where periods of calm are interrupted with a sudden summer storm. One moment you are relaxing, the next, you hear the rumbling of thunder, and it begins to rain, instantly cooling the hot ground and taking the stickiness from the air. You don’t have long to take in the scene as the intensity of the heat gives way to an intense storm. This is a different kind of energy in the air; this is a summer storm.
By Shannon Osadjan July 3, 2025
Nature holds the answers for how to be more efficient with managing our supplies of earth’s natural resources. In fact, nature serves as the inspiration and blueprint for many structures and objects we use every day! Biomimicry is a practice of engineering that creates designs based on structures and sequences from the Earth’s natural world, including but not limited to plants, animals, and geographies. Biomimicry designs are meant to imitate functions that already exist and occur in nature. These designs are being transferred over and scaled up to provide solutions to human caused problems. There are three main core principles that make up biomimicry: recreating natural shapes, processes, and entire ecosystems.