Lorrie Mathers, 2021
“An interesting offshoot from the outstanding TMN training is that I developed a passion for birding and bird photography … Now I just need more time in the day!”
– Lorrie
I’m a Texan by choice!
I grew up in a small farming community in South-Western Ontario (Canada not California) spending much of my time outdoors, not sure if that was by choice or by circumstance. Either way, I developed a deep appreciation of nature and I still derive a sense of inner peace from forests, rivers and wildlife.
My career was largely spent in the telecommunications industry in finance and accounting roles which took me and my family from Montreal (Canada) to Paris (France) to San Jose (California) to Singapore and finally to Allen (Texas). We have made Allen our home and have been here for ~20 years.
A couple years ago, I started thinking about retirement and I decided it would require similar preparation as embarking on a new career (yes, I tend to overthink things). I researched causes, initiatives, and organizations which I thought best resonated with me. I was looking for places where I could dedicate time to feed the soul vs the bank account. I selected the Master Naturalist program as well as the Audubon society from my research as I felt they best fit my criteria. I joined BPTMN as part of the 2021 class and haven’t looked back.
While I haven’t retired yet, I have ramped up my volunteer hours helping with the prairie restoration at the Raptor Center and other projects that pop up that get me outdoors and out of the city.
