FIELD NOTES BLOG

Meet Olivia

education2.americorps
October 17, 2025

Hello! My name is Olivia and I am one of the new Americorp Environmental Education Members. I am so excited to get to spend the year in Severson’s beautiful prairie and forest ecosystems. Growing up along the Kansas and Missouri stateline, the hilly forests of Missouri and the rolling prairies of Kansas were never too far away–so I am happy to be here!


I have spent the last seven years living in dense, urban environments–six years in Chicago where I went to North Park University and worked for two years, and one year in Madrid, Spain where I assistant taught English last year. Although I love and have a passion for integrating natural areas with the built environments of cities, I feel so honored to get to spend time in and to know such a large and beloved pocket of thriving ecosystems here at Severson! 


I have a deep love for nature, and am so excited to support the community members who visit Severson Dells as they connect with the unique plants, wildlife, and landscapes found on this land. 


Outside of my time at the nature center, I love to read, run, and travel, and next year will begin a Masters of Architecture program. I am always down to chat about those things and also to receive any recommendations for places to visit in the Rockford area. Looking forward to meeting you!


RECENT ARTICLES

Science Literacy In the Rockford Region

By Emma Zimmerman • May 19, 2026
Science literacy may not be a term you hear every day, but it is something that shapes your life and the community around you in more ways than you might realize. Science literacy is the ability to understand, evaluate, and apply scientific concepts to make informed decisions regarding the world around us. Science is intertwined in nearly every part of our lives, but it can still feel intimidating and inaccessible at times, and that is largely because our society has a science literacy gap . Science can be complicated and challenging to understand, and this feeling is more common than we often admit. By making science more accessible through environmental education, we work to break down these barriers and build a more scientifically literate society. A scientifically literate society is a resilient society that is better prepared to solve climate problems, advocate for change, and build a more sustainable future.

May Climate News: Could 2026 Be One of The Hottest on Record? Scientists Think So.

By Emma Zimmerman • May 12, 2026
If March felt unusually warm where you live this year, you weren’t imagining it. March 2026 wasn’t just the warmest March on record in the United States; it was the most abnormally warm month ever recorded in the lower 48 states, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data . That means no other month in our recorded history has ever been this far above average. On average, temperatures across the country reached approximately 50.85°F, which is 9.35°F above what’s considered normal for March based on 20th-century data. What is even more concerning is that the entire year leading up to it, from April 2025 through March 2026, was the warmest 12-month period ever recorded in the continental United States. This news should be sounding alarms everywhere.

Tick Guide: How to Stay Safe During Tick Season

By Emma Zimmerman • May 6, 2026
As the weather warms and we spend more time outdoors, so do our other far from welcome companions: ticks! Over the past few decades, tick populations and their geographic range have expanded in northern Illinois. We’re now encountering more ticks than before, and a greater number of them carry diseases. This isn’t a reason to avoid going outside, but it is something we should all be aware of and prepared for as we inevitably encounter them this summer. Consider this your guide to staying safe during tick season.