Mahala Volpe

Mahala Volpe is a grade school teacher that works at the Ramblin’ Adventure Club. Mahala defines a naturalist as anyone that enjoys being in the outdoors. You do not need to know what all the plants are, or what the tree you are sitting under is, as long as you appreciate the space you are occupying. Mahala believes a good way to get folks started as naturalists is to encourage them to sit down in one place and just make some observations for a few minutes every day, and then reflect on those experiences. Another way younger folks could get involved in natural history is through using interactive apps like iNaturalist or Merlin.

 Mahala attended school at California State University, Monterey Bay, where she researched the relationship between environmental education and child development, which eventually was published in 2019 in the journal of Children, Youth and the Environment, with guidance from professor Dr. Victoria Derr. Mahala enjoys the region and being a naturalist in Santa Cruz County because it is surrounded by nature and there is always something new to see.