It was great to hear from Andy Zepp, Executive Director for the Finger Lakes Land Trust and Todd Bittner, Director of Natural Areas for the Cornell Botanic Gardens this week. I enjoyed hearing about the environmental work they do. Something I was not expecting was that the land trust Mr. Zepp directs was his masters project. I found it really cool that he loves doing outdoor activities, so it’s super rewarding for him to enjoy his work in that way by being on the land he maintains. I appreciated hearing from Mr. Bittner, as well, because I am also from Illinois. Although I didn’t grow up on a farm, I enjoyed hearing about how his upbringing in the Prairie State led him to choose his current career. I agreed with him that there are still lots of things still to be learned about nature, which is one reason why it is so important to conserve it. I’ve only visited the Botanic Gardens once, but I hope to go back soon! I didn’t know about the Learning by Leading program before, and think it’s cool that the Gardens offer the opportunity to become better advocates for the conservation of plants, natural areas, and biocultural diversity. Mr. Bittner talked about potentially renewing a partnership with GIAC in order to get more children involved outdoors. I think this is a great step toward fostering an environmental consciousness for the next generation of students and leaders, so I was happy to hear about that, as well. I appreciated the advice both Mr. Zepp and Mr. Bittner gave about following their passions at the end of the talk, as well.