About Us
Rochester Ecology Partners is a non-profit that serves members of the Greater Rochester community who need opportunities to learn about nature and connect with their community. Our nature based programs and partnerships lead to improved individual, community, and environmental health. This organization is our answer to, “How do we create a sustainable, just, and hopeful future together?”
Our Mission
We help all people in Greater Rochester find nature where they live, work, and play. Our goal is to facilitate a hopeful future for our community through our efforts.
Our Work
We work with our community to provide opportunities for everyone to connect with nature and each other.
Program Areas
- Nature-based Education
- Community Cultivation
- Environmental Health
Our Values
Rochester Ecology seeks to be
- creative
- collaborative
- diverse
- just
We firmly believe that the active inclusion of people from varying identities, backgrounds, and perspectives is essential to creating equitable access to holistic and affirming nature-based experiences.
Staff
Chris Widmaier
Executive Director
Chris Widmaier served as a science teacher in the RCSD before launching the Rochester Ecology Partners. He is committed to the development of a sustainable, resilient community that offers equal opportunity for all people to live healthy, happy lives.
Lindsay Clark
Director of Growth and Development
Lindsay Clark has her Master’s in Environmental Conservation Education from NYU, and prior experience working for Rainforest Alliance managing their US school partnership program. She hopes to bring nature-based learning to children throughout the Greater Rochester region, inspiring the next generation of concerned citizens.
Loretta Hauslauer
NBL Educator
Loretta’s goal to help others find that feeling is what brought her to the field of outdoor education and ultimately, Rochester Ecology Partners. Prior to discovering nature-based learning, she worked in education as a TESOL/TEFL teacher both locally and abroad.
Taylor Jones
WildWonder Program Manager
Taylor brings a wealth of knowledge with 10 plus years of experience in the education field. She is committed to promoting sustainable practices and environmental stewardship. As the WildWonder Program Manager, she is excited to continue her work of bringing communities together through nature.
Thomas Minahan
NBL Educator
Thomas recently graduated with a double Sustainability and Biology major at St. John Fisher University. His major hobbies include Dungeons and dragons, video games and, hiking.
Board of Directors
Meredith Rutherford - Board President
Sustainability Manager, Cornell University
Mary Steblein, PE, CPESC - Board Vice President
Senior Civil Engineer and NY Stormwater Resource Specialist, LaBella Associates
Chelsea Ammerman - Secretary
Operations Manager, Student Affairs, Outdoor Education, RIT
Rachel Betts - Treasurer
Responsive Grants Program Officer, Greater Rochester Health Foundation
Erin Thompson
Executive Director, MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence
Michael Boller
Associate Professor of Biology, Center for Sustainability Director, Sustainability Program Director, St. John Fisher College
TeJay Chess
Natural Resources Educator, Monroe Cornell Cooperative Extension
Kathryn Walker
Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Materials Management
Chris Hartman
Founder, President at Headwater Food Hub
Julia Tellerman
Epidemiologist, University of Rochester Medical Center Emerging Infections Program
E Turpin
SP&S Program Specialist, RIT
Our Story
Rochester Ecology Partners had its first board meeting in February of 2020. Our second meeting was put on hold by COVID-19 and we picked back up again in July. We filed articles of incorporation in fall of 2020 and adopted our bylaws before the new year. Developing an organization during the pandemic was a challenge but we were encouraged by the success of our pilot programs in the summer of 2021.
January 1, 2022, served as the public launch of our organization as we organized a first-day hike that drew 70 participants from throughout the community. In 2022 we built on our successful pilots, developed our organization’s operations, and launched additional programming.
In 2023 we engaged over 8000 community members, employed twenty two full and part-time staff members, and have further developed our Nature-based Learning with Schools and Neighborhood Nature programs.
In March of 2024 we moved into our office at 224 Mt Hope with plans to further develop our organizational systems and staff members so that we can provide high quality programming well into the future.
The 2024-25 school year was the first year we offered WildWonder as a nature-based learning with schools program. We served 18 schools and facilitated 8100 nature-based learning experiences with field studies and nearby nature lessons.
Two new programs were launched in the summer of 2025, Growing Good for young children and the Environmental Health Ambassadors Internship for High School students.
Our goals for 2026 are to continue developing our existing programs and the organization as a whole, as we consider how we can best grow and support the Greater Rochester community through our common connection to nature and each other.
Seeking Committee Members
Our organization is growing and we are seeking people who would like to play a role in the development of the Rochester Ecology Partners. Please reach out if you are interested.
contact@rocecology.org