When walking through the Schoodic forest, along the Sundew or Alder Trail, you may just hike right by Volunteer Deb Priest, Citizen Scientist, or as she likes to call herself, “The Bug Lady”.
Volunteering at Acadia National Park over the last ten years, Deb Priest has an obvious knack and passion for Phenology and the great outdoors on the Schoodic Peninsula. One very foggy morning, along the Sundew Trail, I was lucky enough to tag along with Deb during one of her weekly volunteer shifts. We met at the head of the Sundew Trail, Deb ready to go with her phenology ‘tool kit’ so to speak.
Her assigned task for this season is to assist with a caterpillar count for an ongoing Citizen Science study at Acadia National Park, along predesignated sites that are located beside various trails throughout the Schoodic district of the park. She told me that we would probably not find many that day, due to the weather, but that we would give it a go. On our way we went.
At each of the sites, Deb would walk me through the process of collecting the data while also sharing stories with me about her time as a volunteer. Humorously, she told me one of the biggest pieces to her work is being able to even find her sites, which explains the detailed notes you will find on her clipboard with instructions on how to make it to each location. After you make it to each site, she shared that it is a quick one to two minute scan, unless of course you find something fabulous. I asked Deb what keeps her coming back season after season to volunteer. She said, “I keep learning.”
We did not find much that day for her count, but what I did find was invaluable. Even after ten years of volunteering, Deb Priest is still just as enthusiastic in completing her task. She shared that enthusiasm with me that morning. I thought it important to share that enthusiasm with you all as well.