Meet our 2026 TerraCorps Team

If you’ve joined us at a recent event, chances are you’ve already met Emily and Delana. As TerraCorps Land Stewardship Coordinators, they’ve hit the ground running—leading herpetology surveys, bioblitzes, nature walks, and ecological assessments. 

Emily Volmar, Land Stewardship Coordinator

Emily Volmar, a 2025 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Natural Resources Conservation, has been busy organizing public BioBlitz events, writing a management plan for the Gifford Family Memorial Forest in Orange, creating ArcGIS StoryMaps for our website, and conducting ecological assessments.

As part of an ecological assessment at Gifford Family Memorial Forest, Emily is installing an autonomous recording unit (ARU) designed to track migrating birds and help us better understand species diversity, habitat availability, and how these seasonal visitors use the property throughout the year. With support from Mount Grace staff and local biologist Cathy Szal, she is also planning an invertebrate assessment of the West Branch of the Tully River, which runs through the property.

“These ecological assessments will help us identify ways to make this habitat healthier and more resilient,” says Emily.

Delana Gonzales, Land Stewardship Coordinator

Delana Gonzales, a 2024 graduate of the University of Florida in Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, has organized a wood duck nest box building workshop, led vernal pool and amphibian-focused programs, and launched a herpetology inventory at Eagleville Barrens Conservation Area.

The herpetological inventorying work at Eagleville Barrens focuses on documenting amphibian and reptile species throughout the property to establish a baseline dataset for future monitoring and management. Surveys are being conducted throughout the spring and early summer using a combination of methods, including vernal pool dip-netting, coverboard arrays, visual encounter surveys, and aquatic turtle trapping. By sampling a variety of habitats such as wetlands, vernal pools, upland forest, and open barrens, the project aims to better understand how different species use the landscape.

“It’s been really cool to see what’s out there and start putting together a clearer picture of what animals call this property home,” says Delana. “This kind of work helps us make better decisions down the line and makes you appreciate how much life is packed into these habitats.”

With a full lineup of spring and summer events ahead, we’re excited for more of you to meet them out on the land!