Catching Nature

Volunteering at Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton the last six years has been a blessing for Deb Yatka.

Nancy Allured has been a DuPage Forest Preserve District volunteer since 2003, first at the native plant nursery at Blackwell Forest Preserve, then bird monitoring at Timber Ridge and then at West Chicago Prairie. She also reports bird data for several other preserves, including Greene Valley Forest Preserve, where she helps migrating hawks in the fall as part of the Hawkwatch program on the scenic overlook.

Erika Hoffmann has developed quite a bond with Austin, a mustang at Danada Equestrian Center, since she started volunteering in 2021.

Stephanie Scurtu lives in DuPage County with her husband, Brian, their corn snakes Jimmy and Timmy, and their rats Teddy and Phoebe.

After working for 45 years as an architect, Ratindra Das took up painting in retirement. He’s now a nationally known artist, educator and juror who travels the world leading painting workshops and seminars.

When Lazaro Lara is struggling with something — be it his physical, emotional, psychological health or even social well-being, working with the Danada horses as a volunteer is his happy place. His face beams with joy as he brushes and cares for the horses.

When Cindy Crosby and her husband first moved to DuPage County in 1998, she was afraid there wouldn’t be much in the way of natural areas in the suburbs. To her delight, she discovered a wealth of natural resources to explore and enjoy in DuPage forest preserves and beyond.

Jim Fousek is a volunteer trades interpreter at Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago. He has been blacksmithing for a little over 20 years, first with the Lisle Heritage Society and then in the barn/blacksmith shop at Lisle Station Park Museum in Lisle. He and his wife, Donna, live in Lisle.

Marian Pezdek has loved gardening ever since she was a little girl planting alongside her mother in her gardens.

Denis Kania graduated from college with a degree in computer science and worked in applications development for more than 20 years. By then, he had grown tired of the corporate world and was ready for something different.