Meet Sam Gutekanst, one member of our multi-talented, engaged, experienced, and thoroughly brilliant board of directors! Sam might be the youngest on our board, but he’s an old pro when it comes to plants. He brings to us
a keen botanical point of view, and knows the vast majority of native plants in Ohio, especially trees. Sam, who grew up in Athens, is studying plant biology in Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College.
Why is spending time outdoors important to you?
It’s important to get away from the busy world every once and awhile, to see nature, and to look for cool things in it (mushrooms, rare plants, insects, etc.).
What’s your perfect outdoors-kind-of-day?
That would involve either mountain biking, hiking, and/or canoeing, all of which I love to do.
Advice for someone new to exploring nature?
Get a GPS map app on your phone; I cannot tell you how many times they have saved me! I personally use Gaia GPS, which has a good free version. My other advice would be to find out what grows near you, get to know those plants, and maybe spend some time foraging! The app INaturalist is great for this, and you can log your observations and look at other people’s posts.
Cat or dog person?
I am definitely a dog person, I have two dogs, one of which loves to hike, and the other is more of a homebody.
Hidden gem in southeast Ohio?
Gifford State Forest is a hidden gem in SE Ohio, especially in the springtime. Huge abundance of wildflowers and mushrooms, beautiful views, and a nice loop trail.
Why is protecting land around us so important?
Protecting land around SE Ohio is important to me because I have seen what happens if it is not protected. The land that we protect now will only get better with time, as the forests age and stabilize, trees get larger, the soil heals, and animals return.
PHOTO: What’s that Sam found? Why, those are chanterelles! He says he forages for the wild mushrooms a lot this time of year!