Written by Kennedy Zittel, Naturalist
On Thanksgiving, people often think about what they are thankful for. Friends, family, their pets, etc. I am thankful for those things as well, but today I wanted to share a list of some of the things that I am thankful for from working here at Woodland Dunes.
I am thankful for…
- Having wonderful coworkers that never fail to make me laugh and make each day fun
- The smell of the soil after a long spring rain
- Rocks (obviously)
- The spring call of a black-capped chickadee… “Cheeseburger!”
- Our education turtles, Sheldon & Sergio, who never fail to make me smile with their silly antics and personalities
- Trees that are too big around to hug
- Hearing laughter from kids playing in the outdoor Little Wings Play Area from my office
- Rolling over a log to discover a salamander hiding underneath
- Our wonderful volunteers
- The sound of leaves dancing in the breeze on a crisp fall day
- When a butterfly lands on me
- Listening to the plots of the puppet shows that kids come up with in the education room
- Clouds against a bright blue sky
- Getting to watch a bumble bee disappear into the closed petals of a bottle gentian
- The people that come on our guided hikes that share the things they learned at previous hikes with those around them
- The different textures and shapes of moss under a microscope
- The laugh-like call of the pileated woodpecker
- Getting to watch a baby snapping turtle hatch and blink in its first glimpse of the world
- Finding unusual animal tracks in the mud and snow
- Seeing a kid’s eyes light up when they see an animal on the trail during a program
- A woodcock’s “Meep!”
- Seeing the V-shaped silhouette of a turkey vulture soaring overhead
- The bright colors of lichen on a foggy day
- People hiking along the trails that tell me about the cool things they saw
- Hearing a saw-whet owl call back after we open the owl banding nets
- Seeing the Northern Lights two years in a row during owl banding
- The colorful flowers of the prairie
- Hearing kids share their nature stories, facts, and jokes with contagious enthusiasm
I could write multiple pages on the things that I appreciate being able to experience here, but that is an easy thing to do when you love what you do. I want to thank everyone that is still reading, my lovely coworkers – thank you for making coming to work something I look forward to and for all that you do to help Woodland Dunes be the amazing place it is, my family & friends – thank you for always encouraging me to geek out over nature, and our Woodland Dunes supporters – it is because of you that we are able to work at such a fun place and share our love of nature with everyone around us. Thank You!