Meet Delaney, our Community Forestry Member

The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is excited to be a part of the Climate Impact Corps! This program engages a team of AmeriCorps members in the preservation and protection of Minnesota’s forests. Community Forestry Initiative Americorps Members serve at a nonprofit or public agency with a mission to preserve and protect Minnesota’s environment and strengthen communities, with a focus on preserving and increasing tree canopy. Meet Delaney Farwell!

Hello! I’m Delaney (she/her), the new Community Forestry Member with the Climate Impact Corps serving at the Mississippi Park Connection. I lived in central Illinois for most of my life but decided to move to Minnesota in November. I thought the two places would be very ecologically similar, but I’ve been really interested in learning about how their flora and fauna differ.  

I graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois in 2023. Augie was right on the border of Illinois and Iowa and adjacent to the Mississippi River, and it played a huge role in developing my love of the outdoors and my interest in watersheds. I left Augustana with degrees in English and environmental studies, which were in many ways very opposite but also encouraged me to see how these subjects overlap and the importance of language in environmental issues.  

While at Augustana, I spent a year as a research assistant at the Upper Mississippi Center. We worked on a lot of projects there, including water quality monitoring, riparian zone assessments, urban pond assessments, and lead pipeline identification and replacement plans, but my favorite and most eye-opening experience was my study on how perceptions of and attitudes towards a watershed affect management practices. I got to work closely with a rural community that had never had a seat at the table in the management of their very impaired watershed. I got to better understand the role their sense of place played in their desired management practices and learned so much about the pressures farmers face in regards to conservation practices.  

I have always been really passionate about engaging with the community and what specifically makes people inspired to take action on environmental issues. I am really interested in environmental justice, grassroots organizing, and accessibility in language surrounding environmental topics. 

Since I graduated in May, I spent some time as a naturalist at my local nature center where I got to lead hikes and educational programming for various ages. I also worked at our local living history center where I dressed up like a pioneer and taught about homesteading and candle-making.  

With Mississippi Park Connection, I am excited to help manage our gravel beds, assist with planting and volunteer events, and increase the local urban tree canopy. Outside of work, I enjoy crocheting, lifting weights, trying new food and breweries, and exploring the Twin Cities.