Emily Krall, Founder and Director of BookTrails

     Emily graduated from Whitman College with a BA in Environmental Studies and Sociology.  A native of Steamboat Springs, she moved to Boulder after graduating from college to work at Natural Capitalism Solutions (http://natcapsolutions.org/), an environmental non-profit that provides green solutions to businesses. Wanting the opportunity to work with children, Emily started as an intern for Thorne Ecological Institute (http://www.thorne-eco.org/) before being hired as a teacher at Thorne Natural Science School. While at Thorne, Emily found her passion for teaching environmental education to children. 

     Before founding BookTrails, Emily held the position as Outreach Development Coordinator at INSTAAR (Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research http://instaar.colorado.edu/), a research institute of CU.  At INSTAAR, Emily created an outreach program for biology professor Tim Seastedt that included developing and directing field trips for elementary-aged students to a remote research site.  She also developed middle school science curriculum at Manhattan Middle School to teach students about CU biology research and the importance of a college education.   Emily’s experiences at INSTAAR encouraged her to found BookTrails, an organization that provides both reading and science enrichment for students. 

     Emily’s past research includes an independent study as requirement for the School of International Training (SIT http://www.sit.edu/) in Argentina, The Impacts of Ecotourism on the Patagonic Community of San Martin de los Andes.  She wrote her undergraduate thesis for Whitman College (http://www.whitman.edu) titled, The Impacts of Losing a Forest: A Case Study of Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic in Steamboat Springs, CO.

     Emily is an avid outdoorswoman and loves to explore the Colorado backcountry.  She enjoys skiing, hiking, and traveling.  She has extensive traveling experience in Latin America and is fluent in Spanish.  She also loves to cook and spend time with her golden retriever, Eddy.  Her family owns Off the Beaten Path bookstore in downtown Steamboat Springs.  Off the Beaten Path is a supporter and partner of BookTrails. 

Kaleigh Wood- Assistant Camp Director

 

     Kaleigh is a senior at the University of Vermont (UVM) studying Environmental Studies with a focus in Environmental Policy and Development. She grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southern Virginia before making her way to Burlington, Vermont. Last year, Kaleigh spent a semester abroad in Nepal through the School of International Training (SIT) Social Change and Development program. She focused her studies on the negative environmental impacts of deforestation and the importance of developing community forest user groups. 
     Kaleigh is a member of Vermont's women's cross country and track and field teams. Besides running, she enjoys hiking, cooking and traveling. A special book to her is Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, taking place on the Appalachian Trail (AT) reminded her of day hikes she used to take on the infamous AT when she was younger. Bryson perfectly complements hilarious personal adventures with statistics on the significance of environmental conservation. Kaleigh read this book while traveling through India last summer and thinks it's a perfect book to read while traveling and experiencing new environments.

Allison Paludi- Assistant Teacher

 

Allison is a rising senior at St. Lawrence University in New York, studying Global Studies with a concentration in African Studies. She is from a small rural home in upstate New York where she spent countless days exploring the outdoors, making the most of the 30 acres her family owns. She has spent a semester in Kenya where she also volunteered in Uganda for a month as well as spending a week with a hunting and gathering group in Tanzania. During this semester, she lived with a variety of peoples and cultures, many of whom rely on the environment to survive. She also spent extensive time in a variety of schools in urban and rural areas, immersing herself in the life of an East African student. With these experiences in mind, Allison has become aware of what the environment means to diverse peoples in diverse parts of the world, but one thing stays the same: environmental preservation is key to the future of all societies.

Allison has also traveled and spent extensive time in California and Alberta, becoming exposed to the glorious landscapes and beauty of the great outdoors within the U.S. Through these experiences, she has put her focus on preserving the natural world so that generations to come can see all of the glory that the world offers. Allison loves picking up any book about adventure and the exciting journey of life. Her top picks include Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig as well as Walking on Water by Derrick Jensen. Both of these books have taught Allison to live in the moment and take advantage of life's experiences.

Hannah Leffingwell- Assistant Teacher

Hannah is in her second year at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.  She is pursuing a double major in English and French, and plans to study abroad in Montpellier, France in Spring of 2014.  A native of Colorado, Hannah grew up hiking, camping, backpacking, biking, and loving the outdoors.  In her work as both a writer and a reader, she enjoys studying how nature enriches literature, and how literature enriches readers in their understanding of the natural world.  Hannah works as a peer mentor at the Mount Holyoke College Speaking, Arguing and Writing Center.  She enjoys working with other students on their writing, and finds the collaborative nature of her work to be extremely rewarding.   Hannah is also a ballet dancer, a cook and an amateur seamstress.  She loves to create!

Currently, Hannah is pursuing an independent study in which she is exploring short fiction and its role in the creation of American Western mythologies.  She hopes to create a collection of short fiction for her senior thesis project, and also hopes to work on translating one of her favorite pieces of French-Canadian literature: La Montagne Secrete, by Gabrielle Roy.  Some of her favorite books?  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Fathers and Sons, To Kill a Mockingbird, Wuthering Heights, Les Misérables, Mrs. Dalloway... to name just a few! 

Matt Phillips- Assistant Teacher

Matt is currently a senior at the University of Colorado and is studying Environmental Studies with an emphasis in natural resources. He grew up in Boulder, Colorado where he developed his passion for outdoor sports and exploring the natural world. Having lived in Durango, Colorado for two years, Matt furthered his passion for skiing, mountain biking, and backcountry adventures. He has traveled throughout Europe, including Greece, Italy, and Switzerland, which sparked his interest in travel.

Matt has been a teacher’s assistant at Countryside Montessori Preschool for over five years. Here he has gained a passion for getting kids excited about the natural world and an interest in environmental education. He is currently an intern at Thorne Nature Experience in Boulder, where he assists the after-school program at local elementary schools. Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is the first piece of literature he remembers reading that described the respect that one must have for nature. He took this view to heart and feels that a strong respect for the environment can only improve the world in which we live.