Meet Christy Caswell, WLT's Volunteer of the Year

Christy Caswell has been volunteering as a sanctuary monitor for several years, helping to safeguard the first sanctuary established by the Wildlife Land Trust in South Dakota.  This year she was chosen from an excellent field of volunteers as the 2007 Volunteer of the Year by The Humane Society of the United States Wildlife Land Trust.

Ms. Caswell's commitment to animals traces back to her youth, when she volunteered for veterinary clinics, local humane societies, and wildlife rehabilitation centers. "I liked doing that work a lot," says Ms. Caswell, "but I also wanted to protect more than just individuals. I started thinking about ecosystems as a whole, and then I heard about the Wildlife Land Trust."

Ms. Caswell is currently responsible for monitoring the 145-acre Roller Wildlife Sanctuary in western South Dakota—a two-hour drive from her home. Characterized by rolling grasslands and natural springs, this sanctuary provides habitat for pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs, swift foxes, a wide variety of birds, and myriad other species.  Ms. Caswell periodically visits the property to walk its perimeter and make sure its mission as a wildlife sanctuary is being fulfilled.

To date, the Trust has trained more than one hundred volunteer sanctuary monitors to help them oversee dozens of sanctuaries in the U.S. "These invaluable volunteers are our eyes and ears on the ground," says Marla Wilson, the Trust’s Director of Public Outreach. "Their inspections not only help to strengthen the protection of the land and the animals who inhabit it, but also keep us informed about wildlife and human activity in the area."

Ms. Caswell graduated magna cum laude from Black Hills State University in Spearfish in May, 2007. She recently enrolled in the environmental studies program at Prescott College, where she aspires to design a large-scale wildlife corridor for the Prairie states.  Ms. Caswell hopes that this "Prairie Pathway" will help protect wildlife from threats such as global warming and human development. "It’s really important to preserve land right now so we can prepare for the future," concludes Ms. Caswell.