FIELD NOTES BLOG

Introducing Shannon

Shannon Osadjan
October 22, 2024

Hello! My name is Shannon (she/her/hers) and this is my first year serving as an AmeriCorps Environmental Educator here at Severson Dells! I am from Poplar Grove, IL and have spent most of my childhood exploring familiar Stateline attractions.



In Summer 2023, I graduated from Iowa State University with my bachelors degree in Geology and a minor in Environmental Studies. I’ve spent the past year exploring the United States and trying to see as much as I can (37/50 states, and counting). I’m looking forward to applying my education and travel experiences towards teaching the community. 



Since a young age, I have always had a great passion for nature and the great outdoors. Some of my earliest memories as a child are being at Rock Cut State Park, either fishing or floating on a kayak in the middle of the lake. I love going on road trips and I am always down for an adventure!



In my free time you can find me watching movies, hiking with my dog, at concerts, or nerding out on rocks. 



I’m grateful to be a new AmeriCorps member at Severson Dells and I can’t wait to see what I accomplish in my time here!


RECENT ARTICLES

From Prairies to Skyscrapers: Nature and Architecture in Northeastern Illinois

By Olivia Price • May 28, 2026
Nature and Architecture in Northeastern Illinois

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.