The GNA Staff
In 1971, West Chester University established the Gordon Natural Area. But, for the next thirty-five years there were no staff positions assigned to the Gordon, although the Grounds Department took responsibility for keeping the road and trails cleared of downed trees. In 2007, the University appointed Dr. Gerry Hertel as the first Stewardship Manager (a half-time position). Gerry continued in this capacity until his retirement in 2014. At that point, long-time GNA intern Kendra McMillin was appointed as Interim Stewardship Manager. Subsequently, in 2016 Dr. Nur Ritter became the new Stewardship Manager. In 2017, this position became full-time.
From 2007 onwards, numerous WCU students have been employed as Student Interns at the GNA and have contributed tremendously to the work at the Gordon. Below, are brief biographies of the current staff and interns and of the most recent 'former interns' (the lists of 'most liked things' were written by the intern; the intern's biography was written by another intern). We're hoping to continue to add descriptions of former staff and interns, as time permits, so please check back as we continue to update the page.
Current Staff
Nur Ritter
About Nur
Nur Ritter became the second Stewardship Manager of the GNA in January 2016. Nur received a B.S. in Botany from the University of New Hampshire in 1993 and a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of New Hampshire in 2000. His doctoral research entailed a country-wide survey of aquatic vegetation and habitats in Bolivia, and focused on evaluating plant species diversity and phytogeographic relationships in a wide range of wetland types.
Before attending university, he worked for 20+ years as a carpenter and contractor. After earning his degrees, he worked as a restoration practitioner for the CSU Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program (ESRP) for seven years. During this time, he participated in all aspects of the design and implementation of a large-scale habitat restoration study on retired agricultural land in the San Joaquin Valley (California). Subsequently, he returned to New Hampshire where he was employed as a Restoration Ecologist by the New Hampshire chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Nur has also worked as a Contract Botanist and as a self-employed Database Developer.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- One of the things that I really love about the Gordon is that, despite being a forest fragment in a highly developed area, the forest has been able to persist for at least a couple hundred of years. Looking at aerial imagery from the 1930s, it's obvious just how isolated the forest has been. Yet, despite this isolation, and a seemingly endless incursion of invasive plants from the surrounding landscape, the Gordon continues to be home to in impressive number of species. So, I guess that part of what I really love about the Gordon is the diversity of organisms. During the past couple of years, I've been 'bewitched' by the fungi and myxomycetes (slime molds) at the GNA, but really, I'm still excited by many of the species that I encounter there (including some of the invasives).
- Another thing that I love about the Gordon is that it exists as a protected area primarily through the efforts of two undergraduate students back in the late 1960s and early 70s (see the GNA History). It's amazing to me that local activism could have such a profound and long-lasting effect.
Jessica Greulich
Jess enjoying a candy cigarette after a hard morning at the biochar kiln
About Jessica
Jess is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Ecology and Conservation and is expected to graduate in 2026. She’s worked as a natural area volunteer at the Tyler Arboretum in Media, PA, and has been a part of the Gordon team since the Summer of 2023 where her interest in wildlife management has flourished. In her free time, Jess enjoys being outdoors, exploring new areas, hiking, swimming, and listening to music.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Working in the fresh air and great outdoors
- Trying to identify tree and bird species
- Getting the UTV to drive faster than 10 mph
- Taking cool photos of wildlife
James Simpson
James and Turtelleposs (an Eastern Box Turtle) at the Gordon
About James
James is a Geoscience major with a concentration in Geology who is expected to graduate from West Chester University in 2024. He joined as an intern at the Gordon Natural Area in the summer of 2023. Previously, James worked on an orchard during the summer and also worked on two research projects focused on tropical paleoclimates and microplastic pollution in Chester County watersheds. During his free time, James enjoys hiking, playing video games, collecting rocks and minerals, building computers, and working on his car. After graduation, James hopes to go into the environmental field and specialize in environmental protection and cleanup.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Being outside
- Interacting with wildlife
- Taking photos of birds and insects
- Examining all the different rocks in the area
- Hunting for Leprechauns' Q-tips
Mary Teresa O'Hara
GNA Student Intern Mary Teresa O'Hara (left) with friend and GNA intern Sophie Dickenson
About Mary Teresa
Mary studies Environmental Geography with a minor in Applied Community Environmental Sustainability. They began work at the Robert Benson Gordon Natural Area for Interns That Get Paid $50 Per Hour (Mary’s name for the GNA) in the fall of 2023. Mary is passionate about a future where the relationship between humans and the environment is one of reciprocity and healing. They plan to use their WCU degree to breathe life into these hopes for the world. Outside of environmentalism, Mary is very keen on art, music,and community togetherness.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
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The opportunity to be around naturalists of all kinds and learn from them.
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The whimsical world of silly realities that Nur and the interns have created.
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Exploring the wonders and love that run the Earth- and getting paid while doing it.
Sophie Dickenson
About Sophie
Sophie studies Environmental Geography and started working in the Gordon in the Fall of 2023. They love to hang out in the wonderful Pennsylvania woods, read, and strum the banjo. Sophie really enjoys learning about insects and anything else in the tiny world! They’ve lived along the Brandywine for their whole life and are tickled to death by the chance to give back to it in their work in the Gordon.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
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Caring for the verdancy and love that the GNA gives us
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Larking around the wilderness with Nur
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Learning how to better be friends with our earth alongside other environmentalists and Bob Dylan
Kinsey Cuoco
GNA student intern Kinsey Cuoco changing the SD Card in one of the wildlife cameras while avoiding Poison Ivy
About Kinsey
Kinsey started as a GNA intern in the Spring of 2024 and studies biology with a focus in ecology and conservation. She is also a minor in chemistry and very interested in plants. Her study in the environmental field is fueled by a strong desire to do something to positively impact the world we live in. While not at work in the Gordon or working at her degree, she loves to snowboard, cook, ride her bike, and fix things.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Being around native plants.
- Hearing the birds and the wind.
- Learning from Nur.
- Manual labor and farmer’s tan.
Former Student Interns
Alex Desjardins
Alex trimming overgrown bushes along the Webster Trail Loop
About Alex
Alex joined the Gordon Natural Area team in the spring of 2022. Hr graduated from WCU with a B.S. in Biology (with a concentration in ecology and conservation) and currently is pursuing a Master's Degree in Applied Ecology at Oklahoma State University.
As WCU, Alex was involved in the Outdoors Club and served as the vice president for TriBeta (a biology focused honors society). For his Senior Capstone Project, Alex remapped the GNA trail system and designed and implemented a network of wooden trail signs, and associated QR codes and webpages, for the Gordon trail system.
In his free time, you can catch Alex making indie music with his friends. He also enjoys being outside, reading, and writing.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Taking too many photos
- Trying (and failing) to identify plant species
- Building bridges with Nur
Miranda Davies
Miranda watching over the biochar kiln at the end of the burn
About Miranda
Miranda Davies obtained her Bachelor’s in Ecology and Conservation Spring 2023 and continued as a GNA intern through the summer. She transferred from Delaware County Community College to WCU and anticipates graduating in May 2023. She has worked as a veterinarian’s assistant for several years and became part of the GNA team in Fall 2021. She loves working with animals, as well as exploring new places and being out in nature. In her free time, Miranda enjoys baking, hiking, catching up on her shows, and spending time with family and friends. Miranda hopes to be a conservation biologist that saves and protects all kinds of animals.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Finding new insect species
- Mixing compost piles and shoveling dirt for lots of hours ...
- Driving the UTV across busy roads
- Falling for Nur's jokes
- Enjoying the peace of nature and photographing birds
Kathryn Krueger
Kathryn inoculating biochar by mixing it with compost and fungal spawn
About Kathryn
Katherine began working in the Gordon in the fall of 2021. In the spring of that year, she transferred to WCU from Montgomery County Community College. She obtained her Bachelor’s in Ecology and Conservation Spring 2023 and continued as a GNA intern through the summer.
While in the Gordon, her natural artistic side surfaces when she spots various forms of biota and captures them in photographs. She aspires to have a career that incorporates both of her passions for art and biology. When not in the Gordon, you can find Kathryn foraging and eating mushrooms, tending to her plants at home, or spending time with her friends and family.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Bird watching and photography
- Getting tangled in Multiflora Rose
- Seeing lots of dogs
- Finding cool mushrooms
- Never understanding how to back up the UTV
Madison Rettenmaier
Madison Rettenmaier and the beloved Milwaukee String Trimmer cutting a path through a Multiflora Rose stand
About Madison
Madison is a Senior Geography Major with a Minor in Psychology. She began working at the Gordon Natural Area during the summer of 2021 after transferring to West Chester in 2020 from Colby Sawyer College in New Hampshire. At West Chester Madison is also an intern at the South Campus Gardens and a member of the Women’s Rugby team. Previous to coming to WCU she lived in Oregon and then worked at Quechee State Park in Vermont as a park ranger where she was able to develop a wide range of experience working outdoors.
Madison is hoping to continue being able to work in nature through a career in environmentalism or forestry after graduating in 2022.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Being able to work outside
- Being able to problem solve and work hard
- Learning more about Pennsylvania wildlife and other biota
- Looking for the elusive “Moby Dick” frog
Maeve Dowd
Maeve Dowd standing on the bridge at the northern entrance to the Gordon during a blustery day
About Maeve
Maeve was a Senior Urban and Environmental Planning Major with a Minor Geographic Information Systems. She began working at the Gordon during the Spring Semester of 2021 and worked until at the GNA until she graduated after the Fall 2021 semester.
On campus Maeve was a member of the Abbe’s Society, Student Government Association and worked at Sykes Student Union. In her free time, she enjoyed reading, painting, and hiking and anything that kept her outside. Maeve had a very strong interest in how to incorporate environmentalism and sustainability into urban environments and she hoped that her experience at the Gordon will help prepare her for a career in environmental planning in the future.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Meeting all the dogs that walk through the Gordon
- Learning more about the biota in the Gordon
- All the Biochar puns
- Accidentally finding yellow jacket nests
Noah Long
GNA Intern Noah Long standing on an 'erosion break' that he just installed
About Noah
Noah was a Biology Major concentrating in Ecology and Conservation with a minor in Geography and Planning. He began working at the Gordon in the summer of 2019 and continued working at the GNA until his graduation in 2021. In addition to interning here at the GNA, Noah worked at the Learning Assistance and Resource Center (LARC) as a BIO 100 and MAT Q20 tutor and played Lead Trumpet in the WCU Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band.
Noah enjoys reading and taking care of his ferns during his free moments. When Noah graduates, he hopes his experiences at the GNA will prepare him for a career in restoration ecology.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Finding Eastern Box Turtles and giving them names
- Finding new fungi and learning their names
- Learning how to improve habitats and plant trees
- Being surrounded by ferns
Rachael Resuta
Rachel Resuta examining logs that had been inoculated with fungal spawn (Oyster mushrooms)
About Rachael
Rachael began work at the GNA in the spring of 2020 and continued working with us until her graduation in the Spring of 2021. She also spent time volunteering at Bowman’s Hill, a native plant nursery, and caring for her own dozens of plants. For her Senior Project, Rachel analyzed the first two years of data from the Seedling Exclosure trails at the GNA. Currently, Rachel is actively pursuing a career in the field of conservation biology.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
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Working around others that care a lot about environmental protection
- Learning about the plants and fungi growing in the GNA
Paige Vermeulen
Paige Vermeulen helping relocate log rounds that had been laying alongside the PECO right-of-way, while contemplating the meaning of life
About Paige
Paige was an intern at the Gordon from February 2018 until her graduation in 2020. While at WCU, she double-majored in geoscience and ecology and also had experience as the president of the on-campus E.A.R.T.H Club, and as an intern for the local environmental group Don’t Spray Me. Paige hopes to work as a natural park geobiologist while remaining active in the sustainability community.
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Learning new fungi
- Flipping over logs to find salamanders, slugs, and other slimy creatures
- Befriending the regular patrons of the Gordon, especially the dogs
- Learning how to practice forest stewardship, including managing erosion and invasive species
Maribeth Beatty
GNA Intern Maribeth Beatty checking out some Dryad's Saddle fungus (Cerioporus squamosus)
Maribeth's fungi-themed hand lens
About Maribeth
Maribeth Beatty first worked at the Gordon as a volunteer on Arbor Day/Earth Day 2017. She became a Student Intern in February of 2018 and continued working at the GNA through the Spring of 2020. At that time, Maribeth obtained her B.S. in Biology with a focus on ecology and conservation biology.
Maribeth will always strive to be a well-rounded naturalist, but has dreams of specifically working with and/or studying trees in the future. Since the fall of 2020, she has been employed as an arborist with Davey Tree Expert Company. During her college career, Maribeth also spent time interning at Tyler Arboretum (Summer 2018), and with WCU Professor Jen Chandler surveying rare plants in West Virginia and Pennsylvania and researching the Spotted Lanternfly in Pennsylvania (Summer 2019).
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Every time I work, I learn something new about nature
- Tamping dirt
- Giving names to fungi that have no known common names (e.g., Flagstone Slime Mold)
- Leading tours and teaching others about the natural world
- Spring ephemerals!
- Pondering the mysteries of nature with snacky cakes in hand
- CoCo, CoOc, OcOc, RatCo, MyCo Scott... I’m forgetting a few I’m sure
Ariana Rivellini
GNA Intern Ariana Rivellini posing with some Golden Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus citrinopileatus)
About Ariana
Ariana was a Student Intern at the Gordon Natural from the summer of 2019 through December of that year, at which time she graduated with a B.S. in Biology, with a concentration in ecology and conservation. She is hoping that her experience working in the GNA will better prepare her for a career in conservation or park services. In her free time, Ariana can be found trotting around the GNA and other local parks, or going on rock climbing trips to various places along the east coast.
In addition to the many tasks that Ariana took on at the Gordon, she also achieved lasting fame for portraying (and creating the costume for) the fearsome Giant Spotted Lanternfly (see video below).
The Thing(s) I Like Most About the Gordon
- Finding flatworms (Bipalium spp.)
- Photographing flatworms
- Taking videos of flatworms
- Poking flatworms
- 'Dog's Nose Fungus' (Camarops petersii)
