Today at Open Forum, we were pleased to welcome Sara Beth Freytag. She talked about her passion for nature and wildlife and how that passion has impacted her life. Sara Beth was born in Kentucky and has loved nature ever since she was a little girl. This love ended up guiding her academic interests. She attended the University of Kentucky where she earned a master’s in forestry. At that point, however, Sara Beth began to feel that the world of scientific research was not the right way for her to go, so she pivoted her focus towards education.

Now Sara Beth is the Coordinator of Children and Youth Education at Hobcaw Barony where her focus is teaching ecology (the study of relationships of organisms to their environment) through special programs and summer camps. Hobcaw Barony is a local historical property and research center dedicated to educating visitors about the history of the our area, as well as conducting research into wildlife, ecology, and forestry.

Sara Beth ended her visit by leading us outside to play a game called Bats and Moths. The game gave us an opportunity to learn about how bats navigate through echolocation. First, everyone stands in a big circle to represent a forest. Then, two people volunteer to represent moths and one person volunteers to play a bat. Similar to the game Marco Polo, the bat is blindfolded and has to use the sounds of the two moths clapping to figure out where they are and tag them.

Sara Beth’s presentation demonstrated how her interests led her into working a fulfilling career where she gets to do what she loves every day. She showed us how our own personal talents through passion and education can inspire the next generation.

By Sydney S.; photos by Eleanor