Ali Thomas is the Education Manager for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. In this role, she manages the state’s Green Mountain Conservation Camp (unfortunately canceled this summer due to the pandemic), as well as other education programs ranging from Let’s Go Fishing and hunter education to school outreach. One focus of her work has been actively reaching out to refugee populations in the state and sharing with them information about getting outside and into some of Vermont’s wilder places.
I grew up in Minnesota, and as a child my time was mostly spent outdoors on a very local level. We just played in the little patch of trees behind my house. I made a fort in those trees, and to me it was the biggest, most magical place on earth. As a kid I thought it was gigantic, but when I go back now, it’s a tiny space of trees among a suburban landscape.
I think everyone would be better if they had the opportunity to have access to wild nature more often. Instead of it being an exception, it should be an expectation to have access to wild places. When I think of people who may need some facilitation, because they may not have all the same opportunities, new Americans are at the top of that list. There are language barriers, there are transportation barriers, there are socioeconomic barriers. I’ve had all these opportunities to connect with and to learn about nature, and as someone with the ability to help, I should help.
I have always been drawn to the outdoors and studying nature, so I got my undergraduate degree in geology and environmental studies, then a master’s in natural resource management, with a focus on connecting with culturally diverse audiences. After college, I worked in northern Minnesota as a seasonal naturalist for the U.S. Forest Service. The fact that my first job was in the northern forest basically set in stone a sense of belonging and place for me. I realized I enjoyed teaching about the landscape in a very experiential, active way.
In 2011 I was offered a position with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. I knew Vermont was a state that cared deeply about conserving wild places, particularly northern forests, and I wanted to be part of that conservation ethic and movement. From the start, I wanted to incorporate underrepresented audiences in the programming that we do. I worked with several different organizations that work with youth who are new Americans. I pleaded my case for getting these kids to camp and finding scholarships to make that happen. At first, I didn’t really get too far, and understandably so. People who have experienced so much upheaval have many other aspects of their lives that they are dealing with and trying to make work that it is hard to sell the idea of connecting with nature, as it seems like it’s simply a recreational choice.
Then a few years ago I made contact with Ali Dieng through Parent University, an organization that’s part of the Burlington School District. It was started with the idea of helping parents in the district learn and engage with their children and the community, and what evolved from it was mostly new American parents becoming students of the organization. During the spring semester Parent University does some sort of program every day. These parents want their kids to be successful in a place that is totally different than where they came from.
I worked with Parent University last year and provided two classes. The reason I can be a part of this is that, no matter what the topic is, nature is something that always connects healthy, happy habits. Many of the families come from situations and countries where being in the natural world is thought of negatively. The culture gaps are so huge. And being a privileged person, sauntering in there and talking about how it’s really important to conserve land, I would be totally missing it if I did that. What I talk about, on a really basic level, is that nature is something we appreciate and we try to conserve in the United States and specifically in Vermont and that they – no matter who they are – can access it. I show them different parks around Burlington. Everything I say has to be translated into about four different languages.
In some ways the cultural differences are gigantic, and in other ways we are all so similar. One of the programs I run through the department is Let’s Go Fishing. We teach people about aquatic resources and fisheries management and the skills of fishing. Last year I was able to take the Parent University group out fishing at Oakledge Park in Burlington. A lot of them had experience with fishing, but it’s just done differently where they’re from, mainly countries in southeast Asia and Africa. So, I learned from them. That was the door to me explaining the ways we fish in the United States and that there are ways to do it and to get local, sustainable food that’s pretty cheap. I’m so bummed that everything got canceled this year, because I worked with a co-worker and got a grant that was going to pay for everybody’s fishing license and tackle boxes and gear. But we’ll do it next year.
I’ve also been working with a nonprofit out of Colchester, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, to encourage new American kids to come to camp and to get scholarships so they can spend a week immersed in our programming. Ideally, more than one kid would come, because then they could have a buddy. Last year we did have one child from a refugee family at camp, and I’m hoping to foster that relationship so eventually we can have more. I feel like I’ve got momentum now.
Our Green Mountain Conservation Camp program is for youth ages 12-16 and has been running since 1966. It’s a lot more curriculum-based and educational than a typical camp. It’s incredibly hands-on, interactive, immersive – and focused on conservation education. Kids get to go swimming and hiking and camping and canoeing and fishing. We have foresters come in and teach forestry in the woods. We have wildlife biologists come in and go in the lake with the kids and talk about fish. They learn from wardens, on the firearms range, how to handle firearms. They take tests to get their hunter education certification.
I think camp is an example of environmental justice in Vermont. It’s a great opportunity for kids of all backgrounds, regardless of their family’s financial situation. An entire week of camp is $250, and there are many opportunities for kids to get scholarships and sponsorships, either from the state or from organizations and individuals who support campers. And for some kids it opens the door to a whole new world they didn’t know existed.
Having access to wild places is a human right. Honestly, to be human IS to be connected to wild places, in my opinion. The reason I think connecting new American populations with nature is important is the same reason I think it’s important for everyone to connect – it’s healthy and leads to more balanced and peaceful mentality and actions. You don’t have to be a super special person to try to connect with different cultures and to help. My training is as a naturalist, but as a human, I think we should invite everybody to the conversation in the most genuine way possible. That means listening more than speaking, finding out where everyone is coming from both physically and mentally.
Biodiversity creates resilient ecosystems, and the same can be said for the way in which people interact with one another and the communities we create. Working with a diversity of people who are different in so many ways – race, ethnicity, income, experience, education – and watching them at the same program have a great time together is so rewarding. They laugh, share, listen, and experience together. If we can be connected to nature while being respectful of differences in others, I think we’re on the path toward a truly sustainable future.