The chill is starting to set in around the Midwest. Some places are even starting to see snow drift in to cover the plants and buildings and people in either pretty white fluff or cold damp mush, depending on who you ask. This is also the time when restoration ecologists like to finish up seeding the prairies, forests and other places that they care for in these Midwestern states.

Jack of all trades,

Master of none…

Chicago-born Natalie Burgos’ passion for the environment happened to start with Jurassic Park’s iconic Tyrannosaurus Rex. Initially wanting to be a paleontologist, Natalie’s environmental interests quickly evolved to include modern animals, plants, the weather systems and ecosystems as she watched countless documentaries, rode horses and eventually visited her parents’ motherland: Colombia, a nation of the Amazons. Awed by the natural majesty, and dedicated to protecting it, Natalie graduated in 2017 from the Loyola University of Chicago with a Bachelor of Science degree in Conservation and Restoration Ecology. After graduation, Natalie completed reservoir restoration projects with the Army Corps of Engineer and worked with marine mammals in the Sheed Aquarium. Now, through the MANO Project, Natalie is working as an Urban Ecology Intern with the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program.