It is our pleasure to introduce our new naturalist, Leah Cass. Learn a little more about Leah, in her own words:
Hello! My name is Leah Cass and the new naturalist here at Trailside. I am a recent graduate of George Washington University where I double majored in Biology and Environmental Studies which provided great opportunities to study wildlife and ecology. I first got involved with research my sophomore year by joining a lab group studying social behavior in bees. Later, while studying abroad in Tanzania I contributed to a study on human-elephant conflict mitigation. After graduation I completed an internship at the nearby Mianus River Gorge Preserve. There, I studied coyote-prey dynamics and worked on mapping and managing invasive plant species. That position led me here and I am very excited to have joined the Trailside team! I look forward to continuing to learn about our local ecosystem and hope to help the next generation develop knowledge and appreciation of the natural environment. Feel free to stop in to say hi and I hope to see you on the trails!
We are also very lucky to have Robyn Graygor helping us out on the weekends at the museum. Here’s a little intro from Robyn herself:
Hello everybody, my name is Robyn Graygor. I am so excited to be working at the Trailside Museum where I’ll finally fulfill my childhood dream of wearing a Park’s shirt. I spent every summer since kindergarten at the Reservation’s ecology camp where we explored eve-ry inch of the trails. I then worked as a volunteer camp counselor for two years, and as a counselor last summer. Now, I am here to advise visitors using the information I gained from practically growing up in this park. Outside the Reservation, I interned at the North Salem Open Land Foundation for five weeks where I expanded my knowledge of conservation, and invasive management. I am also currently working on getting a double major in Environmental Studies and Journalism at SUNY Purchase. I can’t wait to give back to this park which gave me so much, and help create the magical environment which inspired my passion for the environment