Meet SHLT's New Programs Coordinator: Nora Seymour

Hello! My name is Nora Seymour. I’m very happy to be joining the South Hero community as SHLT’s new Programs Coordinator, and look forward to meeting many of you this summer!

My story in outdoor education began while I was getting my undergraduate degree in Sustainable Food and Farming at UMass Amherst and working in the campus garden. Leading field trips there, I realized that my passion was in sharing the knowledge and curiosity of gardens with others.

Since then I’ve been able to work at a school garden in the desert, lead thousands of students on farm field trips in Washington, do restoration projects and teach about riparian ecology in Oregon, and run the education programs at a nonprofit farm in Vermont.

I moved to Vermont in 2021 to be closer to family, and have enjoyed exploring all of the amazing trails and many unique small towns. I love being part of a community that so strongly believes in supporting our local farms and protecting natural spaces. In my free time you can find me with my partner on a hike, at a concert, trying to visit all the general stores in Vermont, or enjoying sunset picnics with friends and family.

While I’m just over a month into this role, I’ve already met so many great people across South Hero, and taken part in the many ways SHLT connects with the community. My responsibilities are varied and no day is exactly the same, which I love. I’ve been taking over our education programs at Folsom, gearing up for a busy season of community events and summer camps, and overseeing the work at the land trust’s two gardens and six trail networks.

We have three interns helping over the summer and I am really enjoying working (and having fun) with them and our Volunteer Land Stewards on everything from trail maintenance to planting tomatoes.

I have spent my career bringing people together to build relationships with land, food, and one another. I love helping people of all ages connect with nature: whether it’s leading a community workshop on increasing pollinator habitat, helping a student harvest a vegetable for the first time, or teaching my friends how to identify trees on a hike. I believe the outdoors can be a tool to teach everything from empathy to confidence, science to history, and everything in between. I am excited to continue this work as part of the team at South Hero Land Trust.

For more on Nora, and all of SHLT’s Staff and Board of Directors, check out our SHLT Staff and Board page!

Nora at the Champlain Islands Farmers’ Market, exploring soil with a young visitor