Coffee @ 10: Bringing Outdoors In with Little Traverse Conservancy Outdoor Educators, Sarah Mayhew and Sarah Koetje

Sarah Koetje moved to northern Michigan after graduating from Western Michigan with a degree in Interpersonal Communication and business. She and her two sons, Gavin and Rowan, love exploring and learning as much as possible about the world around them. Adventures big or small; they are up for it all!

For years, Sarah and her boys attended the summer programs that The Little Traverse Conservancy put on. Once her boys were both in school, she was looking for a job. Not just any job, but a position that would fill her soul— Something that she believed in. The Little Traverse Conservancy was hiring seasonal help in their education department. She updated her resume and sent it in that day, and here we are, three years later.

“My interest in environmental education stems from my passion for nature, conservation, and my love for children. I pinch myself daily— what a gift, what a tremendous advantage. I get to enlighten young minds as they are simultaneously illuminating me. It’s pure magic.”

The Little Traverse Conservancy Education Department received an infusion of enthusiasm and passion for this work when Sarah came on board in February 2011. The granddaughter of Dana Houseworth, a well-known Michigan state park manager whose duties included Petoskey State Park, Sarah has conservation in her blood. In 2006, she received a B.S. degree in Outdoor Recreation Leadership & Management from Northern Michigan University.

Since then, her experiences have taken her to places such as Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest, where she has taught in various education and outdoor leadership settings. “As an environmental educator, I can expand on a traditional classroom lesson into one that will reach multiple learning styles while providing real-life, hands-on experience. They can see it, feel it, smell it, and understand it. They are experiencing nature. This experience gives them a sense of adventure, confidence, and accomplishment. It’s a gratifying feeling for me to be a part of that experience.”