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Home / Blogs / Welcome to our 2026 Pennsylvania Field Crew!
April 6, 2026
The Alliance is excited to welcome our newest Watershed Conservation Field Technicians! The technicians are working on the Alliance’s Forests Team on a wide range of reforestation, biological monitoring, and outreach projects in Pennsylvania.
Join us for some Technician Q&A below to learn more about the team!
Cam graduated from Wesleyan University where he earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Social Justice/Environmental Philosophy. After college, he obtained an M.S. in Environment and Sustainability with an Environmental Justice specialization from the University of Michigan. Before joining the team, Cam worked seasonally as a landscaper, and most recently served as an Americorps Community Tree Steward in Portland, ME with the city’s Parks and Recreation department. As a Tree Steward, he surveyed 20,000 trees to update the city’s GIS inventory.
Outside of work, Cam is an avid explorer of places, trail runner, gardener, guitar player, and book hound. Cam is excited to lead the Watershed Conservation Technician Field Crew for the 2026 season and to plant trees for the bay!
Q: What are you most excited about in this position? A: I’m excited to lead the Watershed Conservation Technician Field Crew for the 2026 season and to plant trees for the bay! I’m really looking forward to learning from Alliance staff.
Q: What got you interested in pursuing work in conservation? A: I grew up with 115 contiguous acres of forest behind my house, so I grew up like Christopher Robin with an extra 15 acres. This early love for the forest combined with an environmental science class in high school solidified my drive for working in conservation.
Q: What’s your favorite native Chesapeake plant/animal and why? A: Tuliptrees and swamp white oak! I love the flowers and leaves of tuliptrees and the leaves/bark of swamp white oak. They are beautiful trees.
Originally from Chicago, Julia spent the past four years at Wesleyan University studying Earth and Environmental Science with a focus in hydrogeology. She also earned a degree in Italian Studies and is passionate about learning languages to connect with different cultures and communities. During her undergraduate years, Julia studied different environments across the United States, as well as in Italy, Brazil, Poland, and Puerto Rico, always focusing on freshwater resources.
In her free time, she enjoys travelling, trying new restaurants, and playing tag with her cat, Lolek.
Q: What are you most excited about in this position? A: I am most excited about improving the water quality of tributaries that lead into the Chesapeake Bay. Most of the buffer plantings are on agricultural fields, and being able to revitalize barren land while aiding farmers in the process is something truly fulfilling. Many communities rely on the watershed for their daily activities and I hope to make a tangible impact with the Forests team.
Q: What got you interested in pursuing work in conservation? A: When I was a little girl, I would spend my summer on my family’s farm in Poland. My cousins and I built a treehouse in the pasture, overlooking a stream. Now when I visit, the stream is nonexistent and all that is left is desiccated soil. Recognizing the extreme impact of drought on the livelihoods of my family, I became inspired to join the watershed conservation field.
Q: What’s your favorite native Chesapeake plant/animal and why? A: Eastern or Appalachian gooseberry (Ribes rotundifolium) because they are such a good fruit!
Colee is from Hershey, PA. She graduated from Juniata College in May 2025 with a Bachelor’s in Wildlife Conservation and a minor in Spanish. While in college, Colee interned at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Prairie City, IA, caring for the bison herd and controlling invasive species. After graduating, she interned at Restore Native Plants in Oakland, NJ where she incorporated native plants into landscaping, removed invasive species, and cared for the native plant nursery.
Outside of work, Colee enjoys playing with her flock of chickens, riding horses, and going on hikes to look at cool plants.
Q: What are you most excited about in this position? A: I’m excited to get some native plants in the ground! And to learn more about tree identification and the habitat restoration process. I think it’s really fulfilling to reintroduce native species to areas that have been altered.
Q: What got you interested in pursuing work in conservation? A: I’ve always played outside and enjoyed nature a lot as a kid, but when I was in middle school, I was gifted the book The Hidden Life of Wolves by Jim and Jamie Dutcher. I immediately wanted to become a wildlife biologist when I grew up! I’ve definitely gotten more into plants and habitat restoration rather than specifically wildlife since then, but that book was certainly inspiring!
Q: What’s your favorite native Chesapeake plant/animal and why? A: I like honey locust trees because I think it’s really cool that a tree can fix nitrogen. I also enjoy shaking the bean pods like maracas once they fall to the ground!
Frances grew up on a small grass-fed cattle and sheep farm in Juniata County, PA. After pursuing a bachelor’s in Environmental Science at Chatham University, she has spent the last five years traveling and working in seasonal jobs all around the country. Her work includes doing avian and entomology research at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, a year with the Western Colorado Conservation Corp’s Women’s fire crew, and a season with the National Park Service on a wildland fire crew.
After moving closer to home, she was looking for work that would bridge her background in ecology and conservation fieldwork with her agricultural roots, and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay was just the place. Outside of work, Frances enjoys volunteering, hiking, looking for bugs, cooking, knitting, spinning yarn, reading, and playing games.
Q: What are you most excited about in this position? A: I am excited to tend trees and connect with partners around the watershed who are committed to restoring our waterways and forests.
Q: What got you interested in pursuing work in conservation? A: A love for the creatures and inhabitants of earth and concern for the effects of our actions on our neighbors and future generations.
Q: What’s your favorite native Chesapeake plant/animal and why? A: Red wing blackbirds because they are so charismatic and beautiful, and they remind me of spring and home.
Ashley was born in Lancaster, PA and grew up in central PA. She graduated from Dickinson College with a bachelor of science in biology with a focus in environmental science. While in college, she worked on a farm and greenhouse which grew her interest in sustainable agriculture and plant biology.
After graduating, she interned at the Rodale institute studying organic agriculture, and worked as an environmental educator at the Edible Classroom. Outside of work she enjoys reading, running, spending time outside, and sewing.
Q: What are you most excited about in this position? A: I’m excited to learn more about the intersections between agriculture, reforestation and water quality and to work with community members.
Q: What got you interested in pursuing work in conservation? A: In college, I worked on an organic farm which got me curious about sustainable farming methods. I was also really interested in examining surrounding ecosystems and how they affect food systems and quality leading me to pursue a career in conservation!
Q: What’s your favorite native Chesapeake plant/animal and why? A: My favorite Chesapeake plant is milkweed! It’s beautiful when it blooms and I love finding monarch eggs and larvae on the leaves.
Owen was born and grew up in Ambler, PA, located just outside Philadelphia. He received a B.S. in Landscape Architecture with a Concentration in Horticulture from Temple University. Previously, he worked as a Horticulture Technician at Temple University’s Ambler Arboretum helping to re-establish tree collections after a tornado damaged the arboretum in September of 2021.
Outside of work, he likes to rock climb, skateboard, and make music.
Q: What are you most excited about in this position? A: I am most excited to work with community members. I often find the most rewarding parts about jobs in conservation or horticulture is when you’re able to share amazing connections with other people through the outdoor world. That can be through collaboration, sharing a fun fact, or teaching someone about natural spaces. Nothing makes me feel happier than seeing someone excited about plants and conservation.
Q: What got you interested in pursuing work in conservation? A: I became interested in pursuing work in conservation after an internship I had with a township parks and recreation department. There, I learned the importance of protecting our natural resources through restoration and habitat management. Seeing the direct role I played in natural spaces by planting native species or removing invasive species made me extremely proud of my work. I want to continue that pride wherever I go.
Q: What’s your favorite native Chesapeake plant/animal and why? A: My favorite native Chesapeake plant would be the box elder tree (Acer negundo). I find it to be the perfect picture of what our natural environment can look like. The box elder often has large burls on the trunk of the tree, giving it an unsightly appearance. The leaves look very similar to poison ivy. It also grows sideways and in many other directions. It’s not the perfect tree when we think of it and that’s why I love it.
We’re so excited to welcome Cam, Julia, Colee, Frances, Ashley, and Owen, and can’t wait to see what the year brings.
Learn more about the Alliance’s Forests Efforts
Conserving Chesapeake Forests
