Hilary Barnard (Pleasant Hill, CA) – BA (2008) in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.  Hilary loves a life that revolves around food, friends, and playing outside. She considers herself a farmer, a teacher, a mountain climber, a writer, and a very good listener.  She plans on one day being an acupuncturist who grows herbs for medicine and keeps bees for their honey.  Her favorite color is magenta, and if she could be any animal in the world, she would be a seal. 

Megan Connor (Lilburn, GA) – BS (2005) in Wildlife Management from the University of Georgia.  Passionate about all forms of nature large or small, she has a special interest in birds and a particular obsession with raptors.  Her all time favorite activities include traveling, laughing (a skill she excels at), learning, meeting new people, and eating Mexican food.  Having spent most of her life somewhere in the South, she fell in love with the Maine coastline during a family trip and is excited to be returning to FBES for her third term!

Emily Cook (Alfred, ME) – BA (2008) in Environmental Studies Management from Eckerd College.  From the area originally,  Emily has recently returned to Maine after many years of travelling. With only two continents she hasn’t visited (Antarctica and South America), she is excited to be home and be part of something local.  Some of her environmental passions include endangered species, endemic species, and islands.  She brings with her many stories and experiences of tracking endemic birds through the rainforest, monitoring endangered sea turtles, and living on a remote tropical island where the total population was eight.  When Emily isn’t travelling, she can usually be found near or in a body of water,walking on the beach, teaching swim lessons in a pool, and trying every water sport imaginable at her lake camp.  An island spirit at heart, she wishes everyone aloha as she joins the FBES team for the fall term.

Margaret Griset (Andover, MA) – BA (2009) in Environmental Studies from the University of Redlands.  Born and raised in Massachusetts,  Maggie ventured cross country to southern California for college; It was there in sunny SoCal that Maggie fell in love with working as a naturalist instructor on Catalina Island. The ocean and everything water-related has always been a passion for her – especially tide pool exploration.  Maggie also enjoys getting dirty in the garden, singing, biking, dancing, and taking long hikes in the woods.  Returning for her second term at Ferry Beach, Maggie is ecstatic to get back to teaching outdoors!

Brooks Letchworth (Fort Collins, CO) – BA (2004) in Anthropology from Southern Illinois University.  Brooks has nested in Fort Collins, Colorado for almost seven years but was raised in the cornfields of Illinois.  That said, his heritage is deeply rooted in the south and he would call the farms of North Carolina his true home.  Brooks enjoys cooking, hiking, and swimming (preferably in green, quiet lakes).  He is interested in Native History and Spirituality as well as primitive skills and other modes of simple living.   He was trained for Expeditionary Leadership and has worked at a variety of different environmental education centers in Illinois, Georgia, California, and Colorado, with interspersed adventures in Japan and Hawaii.  After spending two years with the nonprofit Educo Outdoor School and the Colorado State University Challenge Ropes Course, he chose to actively pursue his interest in music. His current band is called Mallard Bill Soda, and they just released their third indie folk album: Fountain.

Tess McLoud (Denver, CO) – BA (2010) in Anthropology, French Language and Literature from Dartmouth College.  Although she hails from the Rocky Mountain wilderness, Tess is really a New Englander at heart and is thrilled to return to Maine after spending her college years in rural New Hampshire. Tess has taught ecology in the Rocky Mountain foothills with Thorne Ecological Institute and also gotten her hands dirty all over Colorado as a Natural Resources consultant. Tess enjoys singing, painting, crocheting, reading long French books, and vegan baking. One of her future goals is to own a herd of alpacas. She is truly at home in the wild and is absolutely thrilled to be able to explore the wonders of Maine's coast with FBES.

Jessica McMahon (Oxford, ME) – BS (2008) in Environmental Studies from Lesley University.  Jessica had the opportunity to do a lot of traveling as part of the Audubon Expedition Institute and has worked extensively with the Boy Scouts of America as an ecology and conservation director.  Jessica loves to spend time outdoors and read books of all kinds.  She is excited to be returning to FBES this fall!

Ted Pietrzak (Edwardsburg, MI) – BS (2010) in Meteorology from Valparaiso University.  Ted likes to dream and live.  While boogying to the beats of life, he has storm chased across the Great Plains, helped build a house out of straw and mud in Utah, and launched weather balloons in Japan to study pollution.   For the past five summers Ted has been a camp counselor in southern Indiana.  He enjoys reading, singing with birds, and exploring the depths of his soul.   Following the direction of the late-summer winds, "Teddy Bear" has been led to Ferry Beach.  He is a rookie here and relishes rainbows and fuzzy beards.  In the grand scheme of things, Ted aims to increasingly understand his role in the universe.

James Prendergast (Willow Grove, PA) – BS (2010) in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont.  James enjoys spending his time in the sunshine with his family, friends or a good book. He likes adventure sports, especially whitewater kayaking and rock climbing, but is slightly afraid of heights. James tries to spend some of his time drawing and painting portraits of people and other living things. Napping in his hammock after a hard day's work is another favorite pastime. A traveler at heart, he hopes to see many places and speak many languages throughout his lifetime.

Amy Salowitz (Newtown, PA) - MST (2008) in Visual Arts Education from and BFA (2007) Fine Art Photography both from Rochester Institute of Technology. Amy is a nature enthusiast who enjoys marveling at big trees, breathing fresh air at the tops of mountains and photographing the spectacular landscapes she encounters during her travels. She has explored some of the Mayan temples in Guatemala, taught environmental education in the Southern California desert, and visited thirty-eight of the fifty states by car. Amy's indoor hobbies include cooking and music. She plays the violin and loves participating in jam sessions with friends and fellow musicians. Amy fell in love with Maine and its natural beauty while teaching at a camp here for the past four summers. She is very excited to return to FBES this fall!

Brita Stepe (Riverside, CA) - BA (2010) in Environmental Studies and German Studies from Dartmouth College.  After 18 years living in Southern California, Brita was ready for a change- and she found it in New England! While in college, Brita spent her time studying the ecology of the Northeast in textbooks and laboratories—now she’s ready to explore it up-close and personal with FBES.  When Brita isn’t wandering in the forests of coastal New Hampshire, she can likely be found knitting, playing the trombone, baking oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (her favorite), or watching old Disney movies. She loves music, gardening, science, and laughter—and is looking forward to returning to FBES and sharing all of these with everyone there.

Sarah Trapido (New York City, NY) – BA (2008) in Gender and Women’s Studies from Connecticut College.  Sarah loves the expansiveness of the ocean and the mysteries of mycelium.  She’s worked for bison protection in Montana, painted with kids in Mid-Coast Maine, maple sugared in New Hampshire, studied sea ducks and created a poison dart frog exhibit at New York’s Central Park Zoo.  Sarah is ready to breathe in the salty Maine air for her third term at FBES. 

Hannah Wilhelm (Ithaca, NY) – BA (2005) in chemistry from Bryn Mawr College.  Hannah is delighted to be returning to FBES for a long awaited 2nd term.  She spent this past summer doing water quality research (i.e. trying to lure baby dragonflies into small bags of rocks).  Hannah enjoys treasure hunts, hula hooping, yoga and getting lost in a good book.  She’s looking forward to wandering through the salt marsh grasses, searching for slippery, elusive tide pool creatures (especially sea slugs) and sharing other outdoor adventures with everyone at FBES this fall!

Diane LaPointe (Registered Nurse)(Old Orchard Beach, ME) — Diane has been a nurse since 1971.  She has a daughter and loves walks on the beach, riding her bike, reading and photography.  She has been an OR nurse and recently fell in love with camp nursing.  She is excited to add her gardening skills to the FBES garden and really looking forward to returning the FBES team for her second term.