Meet Melanie

Posted on August 16, 2017 in Blog

For the last four years, Melanie Louis has been a familiar face to many in the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation community as INHF’s land stewardship associate, working alongside INHF staff, interns, partners and volunteers to protect, restore and steward Iowa’s land, water and wildlife habitat.

Today, INHF is excited to introduce Melanie as its new Volunteer Coordinator. In her new role, Melanie will lead INHF’s volunteer program, organizing opportunities for people across the state to connect with the land, INHF’s mission and each other.

“I am excited to continue building the volunteer program, opening myself to new partnerships and exploring ways to get more people involved,” Melanie said.

Melanie’s journey with INHF started as a land stewardship summer intern, where, as a biology student at Central College in Pella, Ia., she developed a deep passion for the protection of Iowa’s landscape. Her summer experience with INHF confirmed her commitment to preserving Iowa’s beautiful land and to helping others see the value of nature.

Melanie later joined INHF’s Land Stewardship Department, working with college students on land restoration projects. Through that work, she discovered her true passion: getting people outdoors, and with a little help, getting their hands dirty.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with so many bright and motivated college students,” Melanie said. “Having had that deeply rewarding experience, I am looking forward to creating meaningful relationships with our volunteers, and to furthering INHF’s mission together.”

Melanie is from and grew up in Davenport, Ia. When she isn’t wandering through a prairie, she enjoys any opportunity to run outdoors and try local craft beers.

Interested in learning more about INHF’s volunteer program, attending an upcoming event or just saying “hello!” to Melanie? Contact her at mlouis@inhf.org of 515-288-1846 x35.

Please note: Melanie is currently on wildfire call through early September and could be called out to the western United States to help fight wildfires at any moment (so cool, right!?). So if she’s a little slow to respond to your email, that may be why. In the event that Melanie does get the call, another member of INHF's staff will oversee any volunteer events during that time.