Issac Ostrum has been a volunteer with ORLT for a few years, helping with plant identification on monitoring visits and assisting with our member hikes. Issac’s enthusiasm and curiosity for the plants and fungi encountered on ORLT’s hikes and monitor visits is contagious. If you’ve had a chance to chat with Issac, you’ll have an appreciation for his passion for plants. Isaac shares what motivates his desire to volunteer with ORLT below.
"I’m an Athens native. I’ve grown up going to Memorial park and The Fred-Birchmore trail after school. My passion for the outdoors has always been there but my love to learn and teach others started once I began work at Cofer’s Home and Garden my 10th grade year and where I still work to this day."
"Having no formal plant schooling has let my passion run free and allowed me to deep dive into any topic I stumble upon. I’m deeply infatuated with all things outdoors in the Southeast. I really enjoy learning about the interconnected relationships of the ecosystems, from the birds and insects down to the rocks and mosses. I’m very grateful to be able to share my experiences and knowledge with awesome people at the land trust."
"The biggest motivator for me is that I’m always going to run into a cool plant or an interesting person on a hike, it’s always fun. I really enjoy helping on hikes and being somebody that people can turn to for tidbits of information. I need to shout out Laura and Dan for getting me involved in the land trust. Having known Laura for a while through her son Elijah, I thank her for connecting me to the land trust to attend hikes. Dan has been an awesome person to hangout with, whether it’s land trust activities or our own personal passion for plants. I’m glad to work alongside him. He’s also given me a sneak peak into life at the land trust through easement monitoring with him, as well as help with my plant ID skills. I look forward to all the opportunities ORLT has to offer in the future!"
