Staff Profile: Anna Hawley

Name: Anna Hawley

Job Title: Education Assistant

What does your job entail? I work with the education staff. Mainly I lead tours, work the front desk, handle most of the scheduling onsite, coordinate Leopold Weekend, Art Discovery Day and help with any other special projects the foundation is working on.

What is your educational and professional background? I graduated from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in 2007 with major in Psychology, and minors in English and Environmental Studies.

Where are you originally from? I grew up on a lake just outside of a small town called Eveleth on the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota.

What brought you to work in the environmental field? For a number of summers throughout my college career I was able to work just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness at a resort/outfitter on the Gunflint Trail. Although I was able to enjoy the area for myself, I have found that there is something more gratifying in helping others learn to appreciate and respect the out of doors.

How long have you worked for ALF? I started in March of 2008.

What is your favorite part of your job? The diversity. Not only am I interacting with visitors and groups, but I’m learning the ropes of grant writing and interpretive planning plus more! And some times I even get to help with stewardship activities like invasive species removal and prescribed burning.

What is the biggest challenge? Time. Figuring out how and when we are going to do everything that we do here.

What is your favorite Leopold quote/essay? I have two. The first is “The Green Pasture” in it Leopold is describing a scène on the Wisconsin River. It’s my favorite place to take visitors when visiting shack. I think this has something to do with my own personal experiences having grown up near a water. The second “If I were the Wind” because it is the essay that I’ve heard Nina Leopold Bradley read a couple of times and I’m always struck how Leopold’s writings come alive when read aloud.