SARA HOLGER
Nominated by Renee Vail
Thousands of people across Minnesota have found a connection to nature because of Sara Holger. Sara has been committed to volunteer engagement for decades, understanding the crucial role volunteers play in our communities. She has taken initiative to seek training on ways to better manage volunteers and she has invested countless hours of her personal time in connecting volunteers with meaningful projects and programs that enrich the quality of their lives and the communities around them. Sara is passionate about helping people find meaning through the outdoors and is well deserving of this award. From 2007 – the present, Sara has trained and mentored hundreds of volunteers through the Minnesota Master Naturalist program. These volunteers, many of whom are older retired adults, have found a renewed sense of purpose in giving back through community service projects that promote natural resource conservation. Volunteers trained under Sara’s guidance are now volunteering with a variety of projects that enhance nature in their local communities including habitat restoration, wildlife surveys, nature programming, serving on boards and committees for conservation agencies, and finding ways to share nature with their families, friends, and neighbors. As the Lead Interpretive Naturalist at Whitewater State Park from 2012 – 2023, Sara oversaw a robust volunteer program and worked tirelessly to grow the program and expand it’s reach to local communities outside the park. Each year, she oversaw several hundred volunteers, helping match each group and individual with opportunities that complimented their skills, knowledge, and interests. Over the years, volunteers have expressed their gratitude for her guidance and mentorship with several even pursuing natural resources careers because of their volunteer experience with her. A highlight of Sara’s career was the Centennial Anniversary of Whitewater State Park in 2019 when she organized a series of monthly special events to celebrate the park. Hundreds of volunteers assisted in the planning and implementation of those events including a candlelight owl prowl, fly fishing retreat for disabled veterans, Boy Scout camporee reunion, and a Great Big Sing Along with the Okee Dokee Brothers. Friends of Whitewater, a group of volunteers who support the park, played a large part in the event’s success. In fact, Sara helped revive the Friends Group in 2012 and continues to play a lead role in supporting them. Sara has also worked with hundreds of volunteers through a non-profit organization she founded in 2005 called Project Get Outdoors that works to connect under-represented youth with nature. These community-based programs are led by volunteers in communities across Minnesota. Sara designed tools, resources and training programs to empower local community volunteers to lead nature-based programs for youth. She built innovative collaborations with various organizations that recruit volunteers including the Master Naturalist Program, AmeriCorps, the Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa, and several colleges and universities. Across Minnesota there are volunteers at YMCAs, libraries, museums, zoos, parks, schools and childcare sites working to introduce kids to nature because of the training and guidance Sara has shared, much on her own time as a volunteer.