{"id":2740,"date":"2023-06-15T15:00:18","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T20:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/?page_id=2740"},"modified":"2026-09-11T14:44:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T19:44:49","slug":"2023-2024-student-naturalists","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/2023-2024-student-naturalists\/","title":{"rendered":"2026-2027 Student Naturalists"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-modular-content-collection>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each year the Director of the Natural Lands chooses several students to be the college Student Naturalists. Student Naturalists are responsible for the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">-Attending formal training events each week to learn about Minnesota&#8217;s natural history<br \/>-Design, organize, and carry out a year-long project connecting the public to the Natural Lands and natural history<br \/>-Organizing and leading field trips for various St. Olaf and community groups<br \/>-Creating environment educational opportunities for the community.<br \/>-Maintaining a social media presence to interest and engage the St. Olaf and Northfield communities<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are interested in working as a Student Naturalist, check the St. Olaf student employment job board for open positions. We typically hire for the upcoming school year late in the spring and openings are usually posted at the beginning of Spring semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Visit our Facebook at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/stolafnaturallands\/\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/stolafnaturallands\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Visit our Instagram at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/stolafnaturallands\/\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/stolafnaturallands\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Student Naturalists for the 2026-2027 year are: Sylvia Sandhorst (&#8217;27), Kiran Tator (&#8217;27), Abby Sikora (&#8217;28), and Saira Gupta (&#8217;29).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><br \/><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"482\" height=\"645\" data-attachment-id=\"5419\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/2023-2024-student-naturalists\/screenshot-2025-09-11-131751\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/files\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-11-131751.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"482,645\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screenshot 2025-09-11 131751\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/files\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-11-131751.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/files\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-11-131751.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5419\" style=\"width:206px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sylvia Sandhorst (she\/her)<\/strong>: Hello, hello! I\u2019m a senior biology major, and I\u2019m originally from Decorah, IA! I spent the summer working as the naturalist and a guide at a camp right on the edge of the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota, where I got to paddle, portage, explore waterfalls, swim, eat wild blueberries, and practice skipping rocks. My favorite part though was getting to know the plants and animals of the Boreal forest and sharing what I learned with the people who came to camp! And after a summer in the woods, I am so happy to be back in the prairie!! I LOVE spending time outside doing just about anything, and you\u2019ll probably see me wandering around if you spend much time in the Natural Lands. I\u2019m super excited to explore the great outdoors with you all this semester!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"2048\" data-attachment-id=\"5916\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/2023-2024-student-naturalists\/kiranscoolphoto\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/files\/2026\/09\/kiranscoolphoto.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1536,2048\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"kiranscoolphoto\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/files\/2026\/09\/kiranscoolphoto-768x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/files\/2026\/09\/kiranscoolphoto.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5916\" style=\"width:247px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Kiran&nbsp;Tator&nbsp;(they\/them):<\/strong> Hey there! I\u2019m a senior from California&nbsp;studying studio art and environmental studies, and I\u2019m incredibly passionate about the intersection of the two. I\u2019ve always loved camping, hiking, and backpacking. The Natural Lands are by far my favorite thing about St. Olaf; I am a Heath Creek regular. I\u2019m looking forward to bringing Oles closer to nature. I care a lot about&nbsp;helping others discover the intricate beauty of the natural world and to take time to find the details we often overlook. My drive to protect the environment stems from this passion. I want to learn as much as I can and I\u2019m enthusiastic to share what I find out with all of you this year!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" data-attachment-id=\"5957\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/2023-2024-student-naturalists\/abbywaterfall\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/files\/2026\/09\/abbywaterfall.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1440\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"abbywaterfall\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/files\/2026\/09\/abbywaterfall-1024x576.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/files\/2026\/09\/abbywaterfall.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5957\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7776844102755296;width:458px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Abby Sikora (she\/they): <\/strong>Hey! I\u2019m Abby, a junior with a double major in history and environmental studies. I\u2019m from St. Paul and absolutely love the outdoors and learning about the environment! Over the summer, I was a trail guide leading canoe trips, including a month-long whitewater canoe trip on the Missinaibi River in ON. After spending so much time in boreal forests, I&#8217;m so excited to be back in the natural lands, especially the prairies! I adore exploring the natural areas around Northfield, learning about new plants, the environment, and connecting those areas to outdoor education. This year, I\u2019m so excited to work on new projects about biodiversity and the natural history around St. Olaf!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Saira Gupta<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information on the Student Naturalist position at St. Olaf College, contact Director of Natural Lands Charles Umbanhowar (<a href=\"mailto:ceumb@stolaf.edu\">ceumb@stolaf.edu<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each year the Director of the Natural Lands chooses several students to be the college Student Naturalists. Student Naturalists are responsible for the following: -Attending formal training events each week [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4679,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2740","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4679"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2740"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5958,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2740\/revisions\/5958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/naturallands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}