Hello everyone!
My name is Sarah Bransford and I am very excited to be joining the Voyageurs Conservancy team as an Education Fellow, based in Duluth! I am in my second year of the Masters of Environmental Education program through the University of Minnesota Duluth. In the past few years I have worked as an environmental educator in northern Minnesota and in Olympic National Park. I have also worked in northern Minnesota as a dog musher and wilderness guide, taking teens on canoeing and backpacking trips. I love teaching and learning alongside youth and seeing the empowerment that youth experience on wilderness trips. I have been able to lead teens on backpacking trips on the Border Route Trail, Isle Royale, Yellowstone National Park, the Willmore Wilderness, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge!
I love spending time outside doing a variety of activities! My favorites are hiking, canoeing, camping, swimming in lakes, and cross country skiing. I also enjoy drinking coffee with a good book, crafting, and taking my dog on walks! I adopted a retired sled dog named Tuff this year and he brings me so much joy. My happy place is anywhere near a lake and forest, so basically Voyageurs National Park! I am most excited to visit the park in winter and travel through it on cross country skis.
I am very committed to promoting inclusion and equity in the outdoor and environmental fields, which is what led me to finish my Masters degree and join the Voyageurs Conservancy team. I believe that we can make tremendous improvements in the outdoor industry by taking a strong look at our inclusion and equity practices in order to help people of all backgrounds to feel welcomed and accepted.
For my graduate work I am exploring connections between Native communities and the environmental education organizations near them. For Voyageurs Conservancy I am looking at existing programming through an equity and inclusion lens. I am updating the curriculum of our Teen Ambassadors Program, which brings underrepresented teens into Voyageurs National Park for a five day canoeing trip and paddle on the Mississippi River.
I hope to see you all in Voyageurs National Park some day soon!
Happy Trails!
Sarah
The new Voyageurs Field Fellows program offers stipend-paid, semester and summer internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to develop professional experience in Voyageurs National Park. Field Fellows conduct priority field work and research, develop new education programs and signify a more representative future of public land professionals. Thank you to the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation for supporting the Voyageurs Field Fellows Program. You can help sponsor Field Fellows by donating today.
