Grace DeMeo easily recalls her first connection with the natural world. As a child, she grabbed a bluegill out of a pond and walked back to her house — fish in hand — to show off to her mom.
“I remember being so enthralled by this fish that I felt I had to take it back and share it with someone,” she said. “It’s just always been something I’ve been excited about.”
Her mom said DeMeo would stare at the pond for hours, watching life thrive in and around it. Not much has changed for the 25-year-old, who earned a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management from Humboldt State University, about wanting to be in nature. Since last September, she has volunteered full-time as a Washington Service Corps member at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in Washington. Before volunteering there, the Oregon native also volunteered with AmeriCorps in West Virginia.
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