Staff Profile: Jennifer Kobylecky

Name:  Jennifer Kobylecky

Job Title: Education Coordinator

What does that entail? Head up the interpretive planning process for the Legacy Center and Shack site, Program coordination, supervision of volunteers and education intern, website design, representation of the Aldo Leopold Foundation at conferences and other events, Outlook Meeting Wing facility rental, program evaluation, and new program development.

What is your educational and professional background? My college education was in Communications, and when I graduated, I worked for five years in the advertising and marketing arena. I made a career change in 1999, accepting a position teaching environmental education at a large YMCA camp and conference center in New York State. I was promoted to a staff training position there, and then eventually moved on to become a program coordinator for the Student Conservation Association before moving back to my Midwestern home to take this position with the Aldo Leopold Foundation in 2005. I’m currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Natural Resources Interpretation through the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. I attend school part time while maintaining my full time position with ALF, although work and school sometimes overlap—the interpretive master plan for the Leopold Foundation will be my thesis project.

Where are you originally from? The Chicago suburbs.

What brought you to work in the environmental field?  I had always been a backpacker, canoeist, and avid road cyclist. I had also worked at summer camps throughout my high school and college years. When I realized there was a way to pursue a professional career outside of my cubicle and in the outdoors, I went for it.

How long have you worked for ALF?  I started with ALF in March of 2005.

What is your favorite part of your job?  I feel that my job here provides me with a truly unique opportunity to connect people with Leopold’s words and inspire them with the same places that inspired him. When I started the position, I had read A Sand County Almanac and was aware of its significance, but every day that I work here, my appreciation of Leopold’s land ethic and admiration for the Leopold family grows. Taking visitors to the Shack has always felt like a privilege. Now working under the literal roof over the Land Ethic in the Legacy Center extends that privilege and makes me feel fortunate to be a part of this organization every single day. We are always learning.

What is the biggest challenge?  Despite heightened environmental awareness, which has increased dramatically since the first Earth Day in 1970, we seem to making little progress in developing true ecological comprehension of the natural world. Most Americans lack the basic knowledge and ability to respond to the major environmental challenges we face today. For example, a Worldwatch study in 2000 indicated that most Americans can identify over 1,000 corporate logos on sight, but can identify fewer than 10 plants and animals native to their own backyard. Fortunately, Leopold set a great example for us. He was not content to practice conservation quietly on his own lands; he was a teacher. Taking his lead, we are now able to expand dramatically the reach and impact of the land ethic through programs at the Legacy Center. The fundamental challenge before us is clear. Leopold said, “No important change in ethics was ever accomplished without an internal change in our intellectual emphasis, loyalties, affections, and convictions.” We hope every visitor experiences this shift in thinking after spending some time in the place that inspired Leopold so deeply.

Opening the Leopold Legacy Center was the start of an exciting chapter in the life of the Leopold Foundation. We now have to strike the right balance between public access and additional programming and maintaining the private, pristine nature of the Shack. We also need to refine our educational messages to take the best advantage of the widely expanded audience that is now before us. The interpretive planning process will ideally help reveal the best ways to connect our visitors with the rich meaning of Leopold’s legacy.

How has working for ALF changed your thinking?  I’ve realized that even small things can make a difference. I’ve met such a diverse community of people through ALF who are all working to improve the world around them in different ways. Each individual project may not seem like much, but when you consider the whole, it’s really refreshing to know that so many people care enough to dedicate themselves to conservation, restoration, and education related work. I think we need to find ways as a society to form communities of people, though spread out over states and continents, who share a common vision for having a positive impact on our environment.

What is your favorite Leopold quote/essay?  I have always really enjoyed Draba—I think I have a soft spot for all those wonderful tiny underdog plants who pop up each spring and eke out a beautiful little existence.