Our volunteer staff is committed to sharing nature with kids in a meaningful and inspiring way, teaching through discovery and taking advantage of natural teaching opportunities. We have various skills and strengths to share with the youth who visit the museum!
Karen Rainsong- Coordinator
Karen Rainsong holds a B.A. from Cal State University Northridge in Art, and a Certified Naturalist Certificate from the Siskiyou Field Institute in Oregon. She is a graphic designer, photographer, and for many years was an art teacher. She is married and is the mother of an 9 year old son who can often be seen at the museum!
She has always loved nature and natural interpretation. Throughout her years living in Eugene, she has worked most often with teaching children, in both traditional school settings and non-formal outdoor settings. Some of her favorite jobs included teaching natural history and local history at Homesource, teaching many different types of art and natural history courses for Lane Arts Council, and teaching as an Audobon In the Schools instructor.
Previously she enjoyed working as an Educational Coordinator at Dorris Ranch, as an instructor for the City of Eugene Parks and Rec, and an instructor at Nearby Nature. She is excited to be working at the Alvord Museum, and sharing this treasure with the community. More about her can be found at her web site: www.rainsongdesign.net.
Lara Colley- Program Coordinator
Lara Colley holds an B.S. in Environmental Horticulture and Natural Resource Sciences from Washington State University. Her work experiences include plant nurseries, grant work, and vegetative riparian habitat restoration. She is currently an at-home mother to her 9-year old twin children, and likes to spend time involved with the Village School.
Lara is an avid outdoors woman, and has been camping and backpacking in the wilderness her whole life. She enjoys sharing her love of nature and natural/cultural history with her own children and others, and feels that the museum is great place for this to happen. She is excited to help spark people's interest in the natural world around them, and help them gain a strong lifelong sense of local place. Check out her blog about sharing the outdoors with children, writings to come about crafting, wild-harvesting food and efforts towards a modern homesteading lifestyle at: http://mountainhearth.blogspot.com and her etsy store at: http://mountainhearth.etsy.com
Sahra Bakalis- Assistant Coordinator
Sahra holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the U of O and she loves camping in the great outdoors. After having grown up in Arizona, she especially appreciates the diverse forests of Oregon. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with others at the museum and constantly learning more by participating in programs and workshops. She is a valuable asset to the museum, helping out with numerous projects from painting to organization. She says “My favorite part about the museum is that every day is a new adventure with lots of opportunities to learn!”