Volunteer Spotlight: Kim Wilson...

After graduating from the Coastal Master Naturalist Program in the fall of 2023, I felt that I had filled my mind, heart and soul with the joy of learning and living natural history. Striving to become a naturalist has brought me back to what I believe was my true calling – working as a marine ecologist at a Connecticut state university many years ago, but now I get to have all the fun and few of the responsibilities!

It is truly an honor to work along side such amazing, dedicated, smart, knowledgeable and interesting fellow Master Naturalists. There’s nowhere else that I can be my fully “nerdy self” - stopping to examine every flower, moss, mushroom, bird, crab and insect and be surrounded by people who understand and appreciate what we are observing. No eyerolling going on.

I have had so many great experiences through volunteering. Most of my time is spent at Caw Caw, where I help with gardening, removing invasive plants, and participating in eagle and osprey watches, it makes me feel good that I can contribute in a tangible way. I especially enjoy the eagle watch in a couple of ways. It is thrilling to see the adult eagles, the nest, and the eaglets and I feel a special connection to them. And while I’m there I’m able to take in the beauty of other wildlife from alligators and frogs, to rabbits, and the changes in the spring vegetation.

Most fulfilling is interacting with visitors from across the country and around the world. Watching kids - and adults - light up when they see the eagles and eaglet, ask lots of questions and become engaged in nature is incredibly rewarding.

I’ve also volunteered with SCORE and planted baby Spartina which has been another way to contribute to coastal conservation. Most recently, I’ve started working with the PUMA team monitoring Purple Martin gourds on James Island at McCleod Plantation Historic Site.

Becoming a master naturalist and getting involved in volunteer work has been life changing and life affirming. I can’t imagine a better way to experience retirement.