High School Intern (Big Picture, Frontier High School)

Sam is helping us collect and clean naive seeds, plant them, and organize our new greenhouse space. An artist and enthusiastic insect lover, she is also our resident bug expert, helping us identify pollinators and other insects associated with the native plant species we grow and sell. She is also working on a creative education project with us, creating hand-drawn signs highlighting local wildlife and the native plants that they depend on. Through her work, she is helping to make ecological connections more visible and accessible to our community. 

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Restoration Technician & Builder

Izzy has experience in native plant installation, community tree planting, environmental education, and building creative structures. As a Wilderness First Responder (WFR), he also brings strong field safety and outdoor leadership skills to his work. He has spearheaded his own restoration and education business, Palo Vivo, which has included developing projects that have connected community members with local ecosystems through hands-on conservation and outdoor learning. His field experience also includes climbing trees to support canopy scientists with ecological research and data collection. He is currently helping us build our DIY greenhouse! In his free time, Izzy loves reading, doing ceramics, and climbing big rock walls!

Founder & Ecologist

Grace earned her M.S. in Biology & GIS from University of Dayton, where she studied how human-driven influences, such as invasive species, are reshaping eastern deciduous old-growth forests over long periods of time. Her research has also focused on topics such as plant physiology, canopy communities, and how invasive plants, such as Amur honeysuckle and Callery pear, are affecting biodiversity and long-term ecosystem health. Outside of work she enjoys sport climbing, making art, cooking, and vegetable gardening!