Meet our Preserve Staff
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Chris Bedel, Preserve Director Education B.F.A Fine Arts, 1985 I have been with Museum Center since 1985. I started out in the Exhibits Department as an exhibit designer before moving to the Edge in 1992, to assume the Preserve Director role in 1992. My professional interests are biodiversity cataloging and natural area management. I direct stewardship activities, share ecological management of the preserve with The Nature Conservancy, and facilitate visiting researcher efforts at the preserve. In 2005, I began a comprehensive biological inventory of understudied organisms on preserve lands with staff, and visiting scientists. The educational arm of this effort is the Advanced Naturalist Workshop Series. The series brings visiting scientists to the preserve to teach average citizens identification/ecology of Ohio flora/fauna and, in most cases, to conduct the first survey on the preserve for the group being studied. I also oversee management of the preserve’s natural history collections, such as the EOA Reference Herbarium. My vocation and avocation is learning identification and ecology of eastern woods inhabitants. From freshwater mussels to land snails to lichens, I am dedicated to learning more about the biodiversity of the preserve and beyond. |
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Jessica Huxmann, Chief Naturalist Education B.S. Biology, 2000 I joined Cincinnati Museum Center is 2007 to run the education programs at the Edge. I organize annual field courses and in-class visits for every 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th grade class in the Ohio Valley School District. For ten weeks each summer, I also help lead groups of children on excursions through the Edge’s Science Camp program, which occur from early June until mid-August. I participate in the district-wide Conservation Field Days sponsored by the Adams Soil and Water Conservation District, as well as numerous public events, such as Ohio Brush Creek Sweep, Ohio River Sweep, Serpent Mound Reptile Days, and district science fair judging. I was born in rural Adams County, and was raised both here and in Cincinnati. After graducating high school I spent ten years in Wisconson, going to school and then starting my career. Returning to Adams County to take this position was a dream come true. I enjoyed the time I spent in Wisconsin, but Ohio is still home to me and Adams County is where I feel most at peace. |
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Mark Zloba, Ecological Manager Education I first joined the Edge staff in 1995 as a Seasonal Naturalist, and later became a full-time Environmental Educator. In my current role as Ecological Manager my responsibilities include: educational programs, land management, managing collections and identification of flora and fauna (specifically lichens, spiders, land snails, insects, reptiles, amphibians and birds). I am a member and contributor to the Ohio Ornithological Society, Ohio Moss and Lichen Association, Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas, USGS Breeding Bird Survey and the Ohio Frog and Toad Survey. |
