Jess Colby knew since she was a kid that she wanted to work in conservation. Currently working as our Riparian Projects & Forestry Outreach Coordinator, Jess brings expertise from her degree at UVM, plus years working and volunteering with various conservation agencies and organizations to her work at NorthWoods in riparian restoration work and wildlife conservation. One of her early introductions to the world of conservation was working with NorthWoods’ YCC crew at the Pondicherry division of the Silvio O Conte NFWR as a teenager.
“I’ve always been pretty set on working in conservation and I’m grateful to NorthWoods for fielding crews in the NEK (and beyond) that allowed me to experience so many aspects of different environmental jobs in such a short time. It really solidified that I was moving in the right direction with going to school to study Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Forestry.”
Jess started with her current position in 2020, and splits her time between projects with the FSI and Conservation Science programs. In 2021 Jess began work on a direct seeding project: collecting local native seeds from trees and shrubs in the region and using those seeds to revegetate riparian areas. “It’s been such a learning experience…I’m starting to be able to identify species better by their seeds than anything else, which is insane to me!”
Jess and her crew of seasonal seed collectors have been at the forefront of developing methodologies for this work — learning as they go and creating new tools for collecting, drying, and preserving seed the most effectively. That means working closely with partners like the Intervale Conservation Nursery, The Nature Conservancy, and VT Fish and Wildlife, and collaborating with experts outside the region to help brainstorm best practices. “It’s challenging searching for good locations to collect from and determining if the timing is right… but so meditative when you’re actually out there picking seeds off of a tree or shrub.”
Like many NorthWoods staff, Jess has worked in a variety of our program areas and credits the united overarching mission between the departments for giving the organization its unique reach and effectiveness. “NorthWoods implements so many different projects throughout the region and it’s amazing to see the reach this small organization has. Each of the departments are great on their own, but I think we really shine when we all come together to work on a common project. There’s so much experience here and I feel very fortunate to be able to learn from and exchange knowledge with everyone that works at NorthWoods.”