said. “She wants a healthy environment for everyone and everything. She is passionate about the natural world and believes in what she does. She has a good sense of diplomacy and works with people and other organizations to solve problems. She is always smiling and a great person to be around.”
Woods wears a lot of hats for the JCSC. She coordinates and implements outreach, restoration and research activities. She does a lot of administration work for fundraising for projects. She helps organize and work research, wetland evaluations, water chemistry, updates newsletters and goes to school programs, reaching between 600 to 1,000 students each year.
“We work with great people who care about the environment,” Woods said. “We work with hundreds of volunteers each year. I get to do cool things like go fishing. It’s a busy job, but it keeps me connected outdoors.”
Good friend and former co-worker, Shannon Dennie, was always amazed at Woods’ level of dedication to the job and the professionalism she exuded on a daily basis, mixed with an undeniable charm and personality that inspires others.
“She is super energetic and friendly and it’s contagious,” Dennie said. “Her enthusiasm rubs off on you. She opens your eyes to a myriad of worlds around you. She’s a hard worker, will spend hours in hip waders in 26C in summer, chasing and looking for turtles in wetlands. Sarah is an unsung hero to the environmental community in Sudbury. She’s very curious about life around her and loves to share knowledge with people. Day to day work with her always involves learning more about the natural world around us. From pulling over on the side of the road to help a turtle cross, or observing invasive snails along the creek, you can see that sharing and opening others eyes to the wonders around them is something very dear to her. She truly is an inspiration.”
Woods can’t wait for the next discovery on the creek she loves to explore and research and to share what she has learned with others.
“There is something special feeling connected to nature and wildlife,” she said. “It’s important to know the choices we make can have a negative impact on that nature and wildlife. It’s all about experiencing the outdoors for yourself and seeing what is there.”