Every summer, the Adair County Conservation Board hires a seasonal naturalist as a herald of environmental awareness and involvement in our communities. This year, the position is filled by Ashlynn Schubert, a Cherokee, Iowa, native and current resident of Adair.
Schubert works as a middle school science teacher at Coon Rapids-Bayard. She and her husband moved to Adair for the working opportunity in the district. She is entering her second year of teaching there.
Describing herself as a “busy-bee” kind of person, Schubert explains that she took the position partly to keep herself engaged.
“I’ve always been an outdoors-y kind of person and with my experience in teaching I felt like this was a really good summer position to keep me busy and stay outside,” Schubert said.
Schubert is very excited about her summer here. This is her first position in conservation/naturalist work but she has loved the outdoors her whole life. She is also eager to see how her experience will compare to that in the classroom.
“It’s different from being in the classroom because with kids, there are a lot more distractions but then there’s also a lot more opportunities to do more hands-on things,” Schubert said. “I’m really looking forward to helping get the kids outside in the summer.”
A position such as this will mesh nicely with her teaching career. Her passion for teaching stems from seeing the information click with students.
“I love when kids get that ‘Aha!’ moment,” and they gain a new understanding or perspective on a subject matter,” Schubert said.
Schubert anticipates there will certainly be lots of “Aha!” moments this summer. Throughout the coming months, she will host numerous events in many locations all over the area, including readings and activities at the Greenfield and Fontanelle libraries and craft-based stands at the local farmer’s markets.
There will also be two “Light Up the Lake” events at Lake Orient and Mormon Trail, along with a “Nature Bingo Night” and instructed standing paddle board sessions.
Schubert will lead three youth camps in late June, early July, and late July, for third through fifth-graders, kindergarten through second-graders and sixth through eighth-graders.
More information on these can be found on the Adair County Conservation Board Facebook page.