Field Operations Specialist
Riley participates in Trail construction and maintenance projects as well as land stewardship projects.
Riley works collaboratively with staff, volunteers, government agencies, and private partners to increase the Alliance’s capacity to execute on-the-ground construction and maintenance of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. In addition, she provides leadership and training for volunteers and local chapters. Riley also helps coordinate local and statewide trail improvement projects such as trail signage upgrades, tread improvements, trail structure construction and maintenance, and invasive species control. She also oversees and manages the Alliance’s tool and equipment inventory.
Riley also works closely with the Land program, expanding its stewardship capacity. She works collaboratively with staff and volunteers to maintain Alliance-owned preserves, leading Habitat Management events and participating in property monitoring.
Riley spent a large part of her childhood, in her family’s campground, entirely unsupervised. Her parents were of the “free-range children” ideology. She and her siblings spent their days swimming in the Fox River, climbing trees, or catching the local wildlife. Riley’s time in the Army taught her to be patient. Things take time, and all you can do is wait and embrace adversity. Most importantly, she learned sometimes you only get one chance at an incredibly important thing, so you must be decisive.