Mission
Nature Up North is a community-based organization based at St. Lawrence University whose mission is to foster a deeper sense of appreciation for, and connection to, the North Country environment and in doing so to create a bioregionally literate community that is committed to protecting the wild things and wild places that define this place we call home.
Long-term Vision
The goal of Nature Up North is to use technology to encourage and enhance outdoor experiential learning. In a world increasingly dominated by technology and defined by a growing sense of apathy toward the natural world, Nature Up North seeks to build an environmental community in northern New York using the technological tools with which people are most familiar. Using web-based technology, Nature Up North enables sharing of experiences and observations in nature through science, art, photography or writing. We seek to foster connections between the North Country landscape, the people who inhabit it, and the inextricable connections between the two.
Connect with Us
Interested in getting outdoors and learning more about the North Country environment? No matter what your age, interest, or ability level, there are many ways to get involved with Nature Up North:
- Get outside with us. We offer guided hikes, canoe paddles, naturalist walks, community campfires, and educational workshops that are free, open to the public, and led by our talented staff members!
- Citizen Science. Our citizen science projects will help you learn to become a scientific observer in your own back yard while contributing valuable information on the North Country environment. Have you ever wondered what flowers are the first to bloom in spring, what birds are first to migrate back to the North Country, or what trees are last to lose their leaves in fall? By helping us collect data about these events, you will be contributing to important scientific research that is going on across the country. Check out our Citizen Science page for more info.
- Join our online community. Create a free user account and start sharing your Encounters, download free trail maps, learn about the fun local outdoor events on our Events Calendar. Join the discussion by commenting on others' Encounter posts and clicking "Northworthy" on the posts you like.
- Become a community partner. Nature Up North is developing partnerships with individuals and organizations here in the North Country who are interested in environmental education, outdoor recreation, and healthy lifestyles. If you are interested in partnering with us, please e-mail info@natureupnorth.org.
- K-12 Programs. We are working with local teachers and enhance school curricula with more hands-on, place-based environmental learning opportunities. If you are a teacher or administrator, contact us to talk about ways we can work with you.
YOU are the roots that anchor this project to the North Country. Your questions, comments and suggestions are an integral part in helping us develop a project that meets your needs, and the needs of our community. So get outside! Explore, examine, share, and help Nature Up North become the project it is meant to be.
Our Team
Project Director
Nature Up North is the brainchild of Dr. Erika Barthelmess who is a vertebrate ecologist and conservation biologist. Erika works as an Associate Professor of Biology at St. Lawrence University. She earned her B.A. in Biology at Earlham College, her Ph.D.in Systematics and Ecology at the University of Kansas, and conducted post-doctoral research at Vanderbilt University before arriving at St. Lawrence.Her research interests are broad and include the biology of small, isolated populations, the intersection of behavioral ecology and conservation, road ecology, and the ecology and natural history of porcupines. Her longstanding interest in environmental education began as a college student when she worked in a local museum offering programs for local school groups. More recently, she has provided educational programing for State Parks and local North Country schools. In her spare time, Erika enjoys hiking, canoeing, and Labrador retrievers. She is also the past-president of the St. Lawrence Land Trust, a North Country conservation organization.
Project Manager
Emlyn Crocker is 2015 graduate of St. Lawrence University, where she studied Conservation Biology. Since graduating she has pursued various ecological opportunities, working as a field biologist for the Loon Preservation Committee in New Hampshire, monitoring nesting leatherback sea turtles for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on St. Croix, and more recently leading K-12 hiking trips as an Environmental Educator at the Appalachian Mountain Club. Emlyn hopes to inspire ecological engagement and belonging within the North Country community through her role at Nature Up North. An enthusiastic adventurer, in the winter she can often be found cross-country skiing, hiking or curled up by the fire with a good book.