Marrying Wilderness Values and Giving: Kristen Starheim
Kristen Starheim, who lives in Saranac Lake, New York with her husband Dakin, has been “in wonder of the natural world” since she was a girl growing up in the Catskills. A lifetime spent in the woods and fields of her home state and beyond, always keeping an eye out for wildlife and plants, has imbued her with a deep respect for wild places. Today, she works at the Ausable Freshwater Center’s Ausable Conservation Nursery in Lake Placid, which grows locally adapted native plants used in ecological restoration work. She was trained as an architect, and before her time at Ausable Conservation Nursey, she designed eco-friendly buildings that encourage connections between people and Nature.
Beyond her professional work, Kristen translates her reverence for the nonhuman world into action as a member of Northeast Wilderness Trust’s Forever-Wild Circle, a group of monthly donors whose recurring contributions enable the Wilderness Trust to permanently protect more wild places across the Northeast. (Dakin, Kristen’s husband, is also a Forever-Wild Circle member.)
Learn more about the Forever-Wild Circle
In a recent interview, reproduced below, Kristen explained why she sees her Forever-Wild Circle membership as the most impactful thing she can do as an individual to address the climate and biodiversity crises—“something to hold onto,” in her own words, in today’s challenging world. She also elaborates on a special request she and her husband made of the guests at their recent wedding.
Kristen cross-country skiing at Paul Smith’s College’s Visitor Interpretive Center.
Describe your connection to the natural world. Do you have a favorite wild experience? A favorite species?
Like many others, my fondness for the natural world stems from childhood. I grew up in the Catskills [of New York], surrounded by old woods and fields and wildlife. In that natural setting, it was easy to form a connection to the nonhuman world. I was in awe all the time. I still am.
Carrying that into adulthood, I hiked the Appalachian Trail over two summers in 2017 and 2018, which is also when I had what might be my favorite wildlife encounter. One day on the Trail, I came across a black bear and her cub. It was at a distance, so I watched for a while, the cub scurrying up and down trees. It was the most special thing to witness. I understood why teddy bears are modeled on real bears!
Day to day, any time I see a fox or a pileated woodpecker feels really magical. When it comes to plants, I’ve been really into bunchberry recently. It’s a species of dogwood. But in general, spring is my favorite season for the spring ephemerals, which I’m always looking for. The pioneer plant species, like mullein, birch, and aspen, are also incredible.
Kristen appreciates a pink lady’s slipper, an orchid species native to the Northeast, in Saranac Lake, New York.
What motivated you to become a member of Northeast Wilderness Trust’s Forever-Wild Circle?
The Wilderness Trust’s mission and work align so well with my own values, so for me, it was a pretty simple choice. I have a deep desire to support the protection of wild places and the creation of more wilderness preserves.
With so many overlapping environmental crises in our world, I find that being a Forever-Wild Circle member is something to hold onto. I know I’m doing something positive for the world when it otherwise feels really hard to do so.
For anyone considering becoming a member, all I would say is, “do it.” It’s easy and something to feel good about.
You recently asked guests at your and your husband’s wedding to donate to Northeast Wilderness Trust in lieu of gifts. How did that idea come to you? How did your friends and family react?
On one hand, I’m so compelled to support the Wilderness Trust’s work that the opportunity to use this celebration to amplify support was just really exciting. Beyond that, so many of us, including my husband and I, have too much stuff as is!
Some of our guests were baffled and a little resistant—people like to give gifts. We couldn’t convince everyone; we still got some gifts! Overall we were grateful for people’s generosity.
Zooming out, wilderness values are central to my and my husband’s relationship. We are avid outdoor recreationists and adventurers, so this request felt really aligned with what we stand for. That was actually another reaction from friends and family: It was very us.
Kristen and Dakin enjoy fall foliage from Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, New York.
What does wilderness mean to you?
For me, it’s less about scale than it is about the capacity of a place to inspire awe. Wilderness, in my mind, is a place that makes me feel really small and inconsequential—in a good way! That happens a lot in the expansive wilderness areas but also in surprising ones, too. Even slivers of wilderness in urban areas can do that for me. Wilderness is any place where we’re reminded that things are happening outside and independent of our human lives.
Kristen takes in the sunset from the Slide Mountain Wilderness in New York’s Catskill Mountains.
Click here to learn more about the Forever-Wild Circle and to join. New Forever-Wild Circle members receive a limited-edition bandana designed by Vermont artist Dylan Fant. (Current Forever-Wild Circle members may receive the bandana by increasing their donation by any amount.) Questions? Please contact Anna Dundas, Development Director, at anna@newildernesstrust.org.
