Growing up in rural Wisconsin across from a lake taught me to respect and enjoy natural habitats.  My mother would take us to the local park for swimming lessons (in the lake), and my sisters and I would fight over who got to paddle the canoe on family outings.

It was in my later school years that I started to pay attention to the “people problems” inflicted on wetland habitats.  During my undergraduate work, professors taught me about the freshwater habitats found throughout Wisconsin.  During my graduate work, I studied the coastal landscapes found throughout the Chesapeake Bay, and knew then that I wanted to be a part of a group that was dedicated to advocacy for and education about coastal wetlands.