Continued...Alumni Profile: Anne Wilkins (Heidorn) '02

The confidence and skills Anna gained at Sterling have been crucial to her everyday work as a Land Steward, “Courses at Sterling exposed me to working in rough outdoor conditions no matter what the task. Tools and Their Applications taught me the technical side of using equipment that I use in my job, like chainsaws, logging equipment, and trail working tools.” Anna works to maintain over 2000 acres of wetlands, woodlands, meadows, and open agricultural land. Much of this includes maintaining trails and clearing brush.

To balance out the dirty work, Anna develops and delivers new educational opportunities to schools and other educational institutions and organizations. Again, Anna finds that her college experience gave her the necessary tools to be proficient in this part of her work. “The outdoor education courses I completed at Sterling as well as my internship as a camp counselor, have influenced the public education portion of my work as a Land Steward. I’m responsible for leading volunteer work groups of cub scouts and girl scouts as well as a 5th grade science class.  I also lead natural history walks for senior citizens 16 weeks out of the year and other outings such as canoe river trips and springtime amphibian road crossings.”

Anna is also in charge of monitoring, collecting, and interpreting data on all the activities that take place on the protected lands. This only scratches the surface of all the responsibilities she has as a Land Steward. It is clear that Anna’s College experiences are proving useful and allowing her to be successful in a rewarding job in land conservation.

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