FIELD NOTES BLOG

Meet Lauren

Lauren Bonavia
November 5, 2025

Hi, everyone! My name is Lauren, and I am so thrilled to be serving AmeriCorps as an Environmental Educator here at Severson Dells Nature Center!


Growing up in Rockford, the highlight of my summers was the time I spent as a camper at Atwood Nature Center learning about the world around me. This experience certainly resonated with me because after graduating from Auburn High School, I followed my lifelong passions and got a degree in Wildlife Ecology and Management from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. 


Wildlife Data Collection: Sheridan, MT (left) and Grand Mesa National Forest, CO (right)


Since then, I have moved around several states working as a field technician for the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, where I collected data on birds, bees, frogs, mammals, and plants. My most recent job landed me in the rolling hills of rural Kansas studying Wild Turkeys and their habitats for a graduate research study.


As someone who loves traveling, my favorite part about this field of work is the opportunity to learn and connect - not only with the physical landscape of a new and spectacular place - but with the people who make the place what it is.


Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park, WY


While my previous experiences are a little different than my role at the nature center, the factors driving me have always been the same: I value conservation, environmental awareness, and connection to people and nature. I am eager to be back home learning from, connecting with, and giving back to the community that shaped me into who I am today.


When I am not at Severson Dells, you can find me playing volleyball, birdwatching, reading, or wandering around a park or museum!


I feel immensely grateful to be here, and I look forward to meeting all of the people who make Severson Dells such a special place.


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.