Cohort 4
Heather Stricker-Orlovsky
EDUCATION • M.S. in Conservation Biology Central Michigan University • B.S. in Animal Ecology Iowa State University
ENROLLED • Cohort 4
LOCATION • Rhinelander, Wis.
Heather Stricker-Orlovsky has spent the last 15 years working as a wildlife and conservation biologist, with specialties in forest ecology, large carnivores, geographic information systems, and biodiversity. Heather has worked for various universities, state agencies and tribal governments, and is currently in a joint research position between the UW-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service. Noticing a lack of impact and disconnect between scientific research and society, Heather began to search for stronger meaning in her work to find ways to foster relationships between people and the natural world. Prompted by her personal transition into motherhood, she became driven to improve access to nature for children and communities in order to foster this important relationship. Heather found grounding and a place for her ideas in the Educational Sustainability program at UWSP. Heather intends to effectively combine her expertise in ecology and conservation with her experiences in indigenous cultures, incorporating aspects of place-based learning, traditional ecological knowledge and other cultural ties that relate people to their environment. Heather intends to research various educational pedagogies to identify the most effective and engaging techniques to synthesize them into a comprehensive educational paradigm that benefits humans and the planet by creating inspired learners with full capacity to tackle complex environmental issues. While she has a strong interest in childhood relationships to nature, Heather envisions outcomes of her work extending to adult and in-service educational and scientific communities, creating strong leadership in environmental sustainability. Heather resides in northern Wisconsin with her husband, two young sons, two dogs, and a fish. While the family loves spending time in the woods and waters of the Northwoods, Heather and her family also spend lots of time exploring the fields and farms of Iowa where Heather grew up.
UW-Stevens Point
14
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog