Member Bios

Brooke Mueller is from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. She recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire with a comprehensive major in Ecology and Environmental Biology. She has taken many classes to learn about plants, involving identifying, understanding their distribution, and their anatomy. Over the course of the summer she had an internship at the Cape Cod National Sea Shore as a coastal forest monitoring intern. She has also enjoyed the classes she has taken classes in the physiology of birds and mammals. The section on birds was most interesting to her and she has since taken a class on and has done her own birding. All of the classes she has taken involving biology and dealing with the environment have fed her excitement of the outdoors. Every since she was little, she has loved being outside and has found enjoyment in sharing that feeling with others.

Emmet Pruss was born and raised in rural mid-Michigan and is excited for the opportunity to now live and work within the communities of Northwest Massachusetts. He is 22 years old and graduated from the University of Michigan last winter, where he studied English Literature and Environmental Studies. Emmet has had various experiences living, learning, and teaching in field settings focused on humanities and the environment. Most recently, he spent the summer of 2012 working with the Appalachian Mountain Club in New Hampshire, where he served as “Summer Naturalist” for the high mountain hut on Mt. Madison. He functioned partly in this capacity by hosting nightly presentations and nature walks for both children and adults focused on enriching their understanding of the ecology, history, and population of the surrounding area. Emmet is eager to gain additional experience teaching in a more formal setting, as well as in wearing snowshoes and cross country skis. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, reading, writing, and busied contemplation inside his hammock.

Isaac Arndt is from western Michigan. He graduated two years ago from Michigan State with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and geography. He is interested in teaching people about the great outdoors, and has experience in teaching inner city kids about nature. During the last three years, Isaac has spent two years teaching a youth group at a local church, helping out with three mission trips and leading a group of middle school kids on a nature walk. He is interested in challenging himself to teach younger kids, since most of his background is with grades 7-12.

Emmet Pruss was born and raised in rural mid-Michigan and is excited for the opportunity to now live and work within the communities of Northwest Massachusetts. He is 22 years old and graduated from the University of Michigan last winter, where he studied English Literature and Environmental Studies. Emmet has had various experiences living, learning, and teaching in field settings focused on humanities and the environment. Most recently, he spent the summer of 2012 working with the Appalachian Mountain Club in New Hampshire, where he served as “Summer Naturalist” for the high mountain hut on Mt. Madison. He functioned partly in this capacity by hosting nightly presentations and nature walks for both children and adults focused on enriching their understanding of the ecology, history, and population of the surrounding area. Emmet is eager to gain additional experience teaching in a more formal setting, as well as in wearing snowshoes and cross country skis. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, reading, writing, and busied contemplation inside his hammock.

Katie Avery was raised in Oakland, California and Lugano, Switzerland.
Growing up, she spent a lot of time hiking, camping and skiing with her family, forming an appreciation of the outdoors and wild spaces. Her
interest in environmental conservation began while volunteering in her
high school’s Living Laboratory for her environmental science class. After graduating from the University of California with a degree in Anthropology she traveled through South East Asia, working on organic farms along the way. She is excited to begin working to inspire in children the same love and respect for nature that she developed as a child.