Forest Park Conservancy (FPC) recently hired a few new Land Stewards who graduated from Wisdom of the Elders’ Internship Program. They will be working under Matt McLean, FPC’s Land Stewardship and Workforce Development Manager, to conduct restoration work in Forest Park and other FPC-managed properties, like the Ancient Forest Preserve.
In addition, we have an Intel Encore Fellow who will be working with us to help improve our volunteer experience and reduce our organization’s carbon footprint.
We are excited to have these individuals on our team, so say hi if you see them in the field! If you want to learn more about them, we sat down with each of them to learn a little more about them and the work they will be doing.
Ahmad Nelson (he/him) – Land Steward
What brought you to work here at FPC?
Before this, I was at an internship at Wisdom of the Elders, which was my first experience working with the land. It really opened my mind to the environmental field as a possibility for something I could get into and enjoy doing. Matt [FPC’s Land Stewardship and Workforce Development Manager] reached out and offered this job after the internship, so I took it.
What will your work focus on while at FPC?
Plant restoration, working with the land, and making sure everything is healthy in the different areas FPC operates in.
What is your personal favorite place in or around Forest Park? Is there a part of Forest Park that you have heard about that you want to visit?
The Cottrell Property, it’s somewhere we manage weekly and so I get to see the progress we make with the land over time. I don’t know if there’s anywhere else in the park that I haven’t been to.
(Editor’s Note: The Cottrell Property is a parcel of land in the Greater Forest Park Ecosystem owned and managed by FPC.)
Ayla Hubert (she/her) – Land Steward
What brought you to work here at the Forest Park Conservancy?
Previously, I was doing an internship at Wisdom of the Elders. Before that, I worked with my auntie, who was a cohort leader who got me into that program. I liked working in natural spaces, it gives me clarity. Then FPC offered some of us positions coming out of the cohort, and I accepted.
What will your work focus on while at the Forest Park Conservancy?
As a Land Steward, my work involves taking out invasive plants like ivy and blackberry and replanting native plants. We do this with more intent and purpose than just planting some ornamental plants, we’re bringing life back to the land instead of applying heavy chemicals to manage it.
What is your personal favorite place in Forest Park? Is there a part of Forest Park that you have heard about that you want to visit?
So far, I would have to say the Cottrell Property that we manage has been my favorite, I haven’t been exposed much to the park just yet.
Frank Hiebel (he/him/his)
What brought you to work here at the Forest Park Conservancy?
Before you retire from Intel, you can look at projects or organizations to get involved in, and the Intel Encore fellowship can help with that. You have a meeting with an Encore representative to help you work through which organizations and fellowships would be a good fit for you. I had volunteered with FPC before through Intel, and for the Intel Encore Fellowship, I was looking at organizations that were local or close to Portland.
There are lots of organizations out there that are larger and do things on a global scale, but I wanted something that was local and closer to home. I also knew about FPC and that they didn’t have much staff (yet), and I thought they could get a lot of bang for their buck through the fellowship. FPC was not on the list of past fellowship destinations, but I’m hoping my involvement might open the door for future retirees who want to work with the organization.
What will your work focus on while at the Forest Park Conservancy?
I want to help improve our understanding of our carbon footprint and ways to reduce it, both for the organization and volunteers.
In addition, we thought it would be useful for me to assist in collecting volunteer feedback and conducting research on the volunteer experience to help improve it. At Intel, I was the one who would coordinate volunteer sessions and I have a lot of volunteer experience with different organizations.
What is your personal favorite place in Forest Park? Is there a part of Forest Park that you have heard about that you want to visit?
I haven’t done the full 30-mile loop of Newberry Trailhead, but my wife and I will be starting there to do the whole loop. I also like the overlook trail by the Portland Zoo, where you can look over downtown.
In addition, once you get further into Forest Park there are not many people and it really feels like you’re out in the wilderness. I’ve got a picture of a raking section by a ravine on the Wildwood, the sun was popping through and it was fantastic.
