Carrie grew up in Waverley and spent many hours exploring the woods behind her house, swimming in Lake William, and paddling on Lake Thomas. A formative year was spent in Nelson, New Zealand, where she took a yearlong high school class in Outdoor Education, explored local landscapes and enjoyed rural life on a farm. These experiences altered her plans for secondary education, and she enrolled in the Outdoor Recreation, Parks, & Tourism program and Lakehead University, and earned a double major, with a BSc in Natural Science. After working a few years as a wildfire fighter in Ontario, a seasonal conservation officer with Alberta Parks, and interning with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, she pursued a Master of Resource Management degree in the Westfjords, Iceland. After which, she began her career with the Province of Nova Scotia, initially with the Nova Scotia Museum, and since 2012, with the Department of Natural Resources in the Provincial Parks program. Now a mom, she enjoys sharing her love of nature with her kiddo, and re-experiencing the sense of wonder through the eyes of a child.  

Amanda is an outdoor enthusiast and dedicated mother committed to exploring and sharing the wonders of nature with her wildling daughter. With a passion for hiking with their 3 dogs, mountain biking, trail work on their woodlot, and wildlife observation, they have cultivated a deep appreciation for the great outdoors and all the creatures who we share it with. Balancing the challenges of solo parenthood with the love for adventure, she encourages all parents and children to embrace getting outside, fostering a connection to the world around us, and learning how to be good stewards of the planet. Growing up on a Christmas tree farm and raising orphan wildlife, Amanda learned the ropes of where to find salamanders, how to catch the biggest frogs, how mischievous raccoons can be, as well as important lessons about sustainable forestry practices from her dad, who continues to pass his knowledge to the next generations. Whether it's a weekend hike or an evening enjoying the stars, Amanda believes in the importance of practicing gratitude for the natural world, instilling values of resilience, independence, curiosity, and respect for ecosystems large and small. 

Trevor Arthurs is a father of three awesome daughters and late last year he also became a grandfather for the first time.  He is a recently retired Engineer who worked in Truro and travelled the world with Intertape Polymer for the last 30 years.  His love of the outdoors started with family camping trips to New Brunswick and solo fishing expeditions to the brook and lake behind his grandparents’ houses. This love of the outdoors continued with camping with his daughters and over the last 10 years with many trips into the backcountry of Keji.   Trevor also loves hiking and biking the trails of Nova Scotia and learning as much as he can about the flora and fauna of the world from his wife Cara.  He has very strong memories of free ranging through the woods, lakes and streams of his youth and would like to help foster this love of the outdoors in others. 

Cara has always been a nature lover and spent plenty of time in the woods and the lake at her family cottage in northern Alberta. After graduating with a BSc in Zoology she worked with an organization delivering nature programs to school groups. It was at that time that she really began to appreciate the smaller, more accessible animals that gave kids a hands-on experience and appreciation of nature close-to-home. Later, Cara moved to Nova Scotia and did an MA in International Development Studies and worked at the Dalhousie Ag Campus as a project manager on collaborative projects across the globe. She continued to learn new things and marvel at the wonder of science while working as a PM on scientific research projects with Genome Atlantic. Cara first became involved with the Nova Scotia Young Naturalists Club over 10 years ago when she and her husband, Trevor, started taking their daughter to YNC events across the region. She loved that she always learned something new at each event and that the parents enjoyed the events as much as the kids did! Believing so strongly in the organization and recognizing the importance of encouraging kids and families to spend time outdoors and learn about nature, Cara joined the NS YNC’s volunteer Board for a few years. Now, Cara is thrilled to be working with the rest of this great team to start up a chapter in Truro!