Adam Larson, Field Technician at SwampLovers Preserve.
We are excited to welcome Adam Larson as our new Field Technician at SwampLovers Preserve!
Adam, a New Glarus resident, grew up on a small dairy farm in the village, not far from the Ice Age Trail! He enjoyed being in the outdoors and learning about various plants from a young age. “My dad is super knowledgeable about plants and taught me about them as a kid,” Adam says.
Prior to a career in land conservation, Adam was a graphic designer. He became interested in illustration and environmental field work in high school, but decided to pursue an Illustration and Graphic Design degree at Madison College. He describes his art style as, “low-brow medieval fantasy with nature backgrounds and elements.” Fun fact: Adam designed patterns for reusable diapers for 1.5 years!
When he was ready for a career change, Adam decided he missed working in the outdoors and wanted to find a job that allowed him those benefits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Adam was able to get outdoors more, including a backpacking trip in the Blue Hills area and kayaking on the Sugar River, which fueled his passion for protecting and restoring native landscapes.
Additionally, Adam became very involved in volunteering with the Dane County Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance. He started volunteering with them in January 2024 and joined them for land restoration events about 2-3 days a week. “Chapter volunteers, like Gary Werner, showed me the ropes and taught me about habitat improvement practices. I learned how to do brush cutting, about different invasive plants and management techniques for them, plus so much more.” So, when Adam saw the Field Technician position posted on the Alliance’s Instagram, he decided it was the perfect job.
As the Field Technician at SwampLovers Preserve, Adam will assist the Restoration Technician, other staff, and volunteers with vegetative restoration of the Alliance-owned SwampLovers Preserve in Dane County. This restoration includes controlling invasive species, working with volunteers of all ages, and collecting native seed to promote and enhance biodiversity.
Adam has already accomplished a lot since starting at the Alliance in April! On his first day, he helped mix and plant native seed at SwampLovers. He’s also helped plant seed at the Alliance’s Mammoth’s Back Preserve. Not to mention, Adam has collected native species, assisted with equipment maintenance, sprayed invasives (like much-despised Garlic mustard), and helped lead a stewardship day with the local charter school MG21.
What is Adam most excited about in his new role? Seed collection! “Being able to collect from rarer plants at SwampLovers, like Bellwort, and encourage them to grow and flourish in new spots is exciting,” he explains. The different biomes in SwampLovers allow for a lot of different flora species to be found at the Preserve.
We look forward to working with Adam to conserve, create, maintain, and promote the Ice Age Trail!
