In Your Words: Katie Catalano

Greetings, readers and Mass Audubon supporters. My name is Katie Catalano. I am a lifelong lover of nature. 

For my entire life, I have had a heart and passion for nature, the earth, and the environment. I have always had fun learning and helping all over Massachusetts at different Mass Audubon locations. Little did I know I would one day be able to volunteer and work at one and show everyone how much I know and care about the beautiful and amazing planet we live on. 

I have been visiting Mass Audubon for as long as I can remember. I went on field trips to the marsh as a kid, and during pre-pandemic times my family and I found volunteer opportunities at Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport. These experiences, along with my love of nature, inspired me to sign up as a teen volunteer in 2019 as part of the MAPLE (Mass Audubon Accessible Programs and Learning Experiences) program. 

I started as a vocational animal care intern, and I liked my time at Joppa, so I also signed up to volunteer at some birthday parties and public events. I was promoted to Education Volunteer and got to teach children and adults all the things I know and love about the natural world. These experiences made my passion for nature burn brighter than ever before. 

Volunteering helped with many important life skills I was working on, including listening, socializing, and co-working. I worked on carefully following and remembering steps to different tasks. There were many challenges that made me nervous, such as meeting new people, learning how to handle animals, greeting guests, and going to new places. I am very proud of my work, and my supervisor, Lisa Hutchings, and my mentor, Kai Young, told me how impressed they are with my skills and knowledge. I have even earned a Certificate of Excellence.   

Some of my favorite moments have been learning the diet of the touch tank creatures and watching them chow down when I fed them, reliving my childhood on nature expeditions with the kids and watching them bond with nature like I once did, and of course the empowering bonds I have formed with my co-workers.  

I hope all nature lovers and others who have read this feel great about this beautiful world and the organizations like Mass Audubon that care for it.  

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