Worker Bee: Volunteer Spotlight

Spotlight on Volunteer Kris Smith

She puts her back into it! Kris swings a mallet overhead, working to remove a post from the ground on a volunteer workday at Camp Cuesta.

Kris was cutting catnip in her garden when I called. Her day’s plans to collect little bluestem seeds “got skunked” due to rain, but she appreciated the rain, nonetheless. Years ago, she had planted the little bluestem on her property near Hibbard’s Creek in Jacksonport as part of an effort to convert fallow field to prairie. Today, it has spread to nearly three acres, and the seeds can be used to plant new prairies.

Kris’ ethos as a land steward runs deep. She extends her passion beyond her own property, attending many Door County Land Trust stewardship workdays. She maintains trails, manages invasives, plants native species, and more. “Grunt work is my specialty,” Kris tells me. She is a self-proclaimed worker bee, saying, “give me tools and tell me what to do.”

Since attending her first workday in 2023, Kris has added preserve stewardship, boundary marking, WAV creek monitoring, and leading hikes to her list of volunteer activities. She also became a certified Master Naturalist through the UW-Madison Extension, which requires 40 hours of volunteer work and eight hours of continued learning per year.

The Driftless area, where Kris grew up, influenced her enjoyment of nature. Her childhood was spent outdoors “during a time when parents let their kids out in the morning with no supervision, and as long as you showed up at dusk, it was cool.” She remembers playing “army” in the cave behind Ms. Dregne’s horse barn and exploring the jungle-like forest.

At an aquatic discovery program at Heins Creek Nature Preserve, Kris explains how indexing macroinvertebrates help determine water quality

While leading hikes at Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve, where Kris is a preserve steward, she enjoys taking people “through time.” She explains the geologic history of the area; how the top of the hill is the oldest point in time, in terms of glaciation. “As you descend, you go forward in time, to when the lake and bay were much higher than they are now.”

Kris’ enthusiasm extends beyond land. As a kayaker, she often explores the shore and appreciates how preservation has an impact on water. One of her favorite areas is Bues Point, where The Nature Conservancy, the Ridges Sanctuary, and the Land Trust collectively protect thousands of acres on Lake Michigan. There are no houses along the shore, offering total solitude and a primitive vibe.

Kris has a deep appreciation for the fact that “Door County is a combination of circumstances that in Earth’s history is never going to happen again. Like the Driftless…like the 50’ dune at Bear Creek Nature Preserve.” She says, “it is here, and that’s it.”

Kris piles sticks for wildlife at Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve, where she is also a hike leader and preserve steward

Door County Land Trust thanks Kris and the hundreds of other volunteers who dedicate their time to learning, teaching, researching, and sharing their passion and knowledge. Thank you!

Find out about ways that you can get involved at doorcountylandtrust.org/volunteer-page.

Written by Lucia Hodkiewicz