Janel Morrison takes getting close to nature seriously — as the newly hired naturalist at Fern Hollow Nature Center in Sewickley Heights, she spends part of every workday in the meadow.

Morrison’s position includes engaging the public through education, programming and land management on the 33-acre property, as well as the 1,000-acre park in Sewickley Heights Borough.

“I try to just walk out here every day and check on the field,” The Glen Osborne resident said as she stood on the grounds on a recent Tuesday. “Part of my job is to manage our wildflower meadow. I’ve really been looking at it. I have some goals in my mind to increase the biodiversity out here.”

Biodiversity is the variety of species — plants and animals — in an ecosystem.

The meadow has about 30 native trees. Since being hired in early October, she’s been updating the information about what’s growing on site and learning about the surroundings.

She’s found milkweed, chestnut trees and various oaks, including white oaks. White oaks support more insects and caterpillars than nearly any other species of tree anywhere, Morrison said. Many years ago, chestnut trees were wiped out by blight. At one time, chestnut trees were the major tree in Pennsylvania, she said.

One of her goals is to determine if Fern Hollow’s native tree walk qualifies as a certified arboretum, a designated space for cultivating trees and other plants for scientific and educational purposes, according to Tree Pittsburgh.

She will lead educational programming for all ages, including additional programming once the center’s renovation project is completed in 2026.

“We’re delighted to welcome Janel to Fern Hollow,” executive director Sam Capezzuto, said in a statement. “Her experience as both an educator and horticulturist makes her the perfect fit to lead our programs and care for our land. I am so excited to see Fern Hollow grow under her leadership.”

Morrison, 52, grew up in Edgeworth and is a graduate of Quaker Valley High School.

Her introduction to the outdoors came from her dad, Gary Bauer, a former Fern Hollow board member. It was reinforced when she decided she liked her botany classes more than the other courses for her original career path to become a veterinarian. She received a Bachelor of Science in botany with an emphasis in environmental science from Miami (Ohio) University and worked as a children’s education coordinator at Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus before moving to Colorado. She and her husband moved back after the birth of their second child to be closer to their parents, Karen and Gary Bauer and Don and Tina Morrison.

“When I moved back to Sewickley, my father said, ‘Hey, you should get a job there,’” Morrison said.

Two decades ago, the timing wasn’t right, Morrison said. She found a part-time job teaching horticulture at Bidwell Training Center on Pittsburgh’s North Side for 14 years, which was perfect once her children started school.

Before she left Bidwell, she scheduled a trip for students to visit Sewickley Heights Park, Fern Hollow and Mary Roberts Rinehart Nature Park, where she is a board member and lead horticulturist overseeing gardens and community green space initiatives.

“These field trips are great because someone might want to get into forestry or park management or someone might just want to use native plants in a landscape or remove invasive species,” Morrison said. “There are a ton of opportunities where they can learn and get some hands-on experience.”

Now that Morrison’s children Ian and Colin are in college, the timing is right. This summer, Mary Roberts Rinehart Naure Park fellow board member Barbara Carrier suggested Morrison consider the position.

“I told her I’m perfectly happy with my job but she said, ‘I think you should consider this job,’ and so I met with her and (Fern Hollow executive director) Sam (Capezzuto) and I was like, this does sound pretty perfect.”

Morrison has a strong community connection, Carrier said in a statement. She said Morrison’s engaging teaching skills and work ethic will be an asset to Fern Hollow.

“Beyond Janel’s credentials, during the interviewing process, her knowledge and expertise were immediately apparent,” Fern Hollow board vice-president Lee Bollinger said in a statement.

Being outside is natural to Morrison, who taught horseback riding and still does trail rides and takes her dog to Sewickley Heights Borough Park.

Working at Fern Hollow, she is learning every day from her colleagues, whose expertise includes birds, fish and other aspects of nature. Her goal is to become a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist.

Part of her vision is to expand program offerings to people of all ages and to do more with Fern Hollow’s children’s outdoor classroom.

The more you can get children engaged in nature, the hope is they will carry that through their lives, Morrison said.

“When you are in Sewickley, everywhere you go, you see people that you know and who know your family,” Morrison said.

She recalled her parents bringing her to Fern Hollow and she brought her children.

She has family photos at Fern Hollow. A program run by Cam Elko, an educator at Fern Hollow, called the QV Creekers 40 years ago, included her older brother Sean Bauer and explored plant biodiversity. Morrison said it will be interesting to see what’s changed over four decades.

“Sometimes things come full circle and you go back to your roots,” Morrison said. “I love that.”

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