I started the day at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve with a walk led by its Executive Director, Miles Arnott. Miles led our small group on a fascinating hike of the preserve which was founded in 1934. The 134 acre preserve provides a full sensory experience, filled with an array of native and colorful wildflowers, the gurgling Pidcock Creek, and playful chirping birds. I highly recommend a visit to the Preserve for adults as well as those with kids—it’s a great way to connect with nature.

I had a lovely lunch with old and now new friends including the team at the Rago Arts and Auction Center. Founding partners David Rago and Suzanne Perrault are featured appraisers on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow. Miriam Tucker, also a partner at Rago, was there with her husband Jeff. The Rago team are friendly, art smart and well travelled. Specializing in the sale of several talented artists from the area such as George Nakashima, Paul Evans and Phillip Powell who all designed and created beautiful furniture (Mira Nakashima continues her father’s legacy at the studio he founded a short distance from where we all had lunch, al-fresco). A talented group of Pennsylvanian Impressionists and Modernists lived and painted “en plein air” (in the open air) all around this spectacular area. Their works are also part of Rago auctions, not surprisingly, as these artists managed to capture the charm and atmosphere of that vicinity so well.

I spent the night at Porches Bed and Breakfast in New Hope, Penn., built in 1830. B&B owner John Byers has decorated each room with an artful and eclectic flair and he serves an aromatic and tasty breakfast overlooking the gardens. Porches is conveniently located in the middle of town near New Hope’s bistros, shops and historic sights. So, pack a bag and head towards sister “cities” Lambertville and New Hope, or an outdoor oasis near you.

The is the next interiew in the series “In Pursuit of Passion.” I have met many interesting people on my travels as Executive Vice President of National Wildlife Federation.  In this series, I’ve chosen to showcase those living life with extreme passion and in doing so I hope to inpsire others to follow  their passion. 

Annette Leal Mattern is President of the Ovarian  Cancer National Alliance. She’s uniquely qualified for the role: Annette is a 24 year survivor of ovarian and breast cancer. It would be easy for Annette  to be angry about her bout with cancer; instead, she is a calming, hopeful and passionate person.  I met Annette two years ago, and she has  the voice of a woman who has been to hell and back and wants other women to know their own power so she agreed to let me share her story. 

Q: What are you most passionate about?

Living a life of purpose means surviving, helping others to thrive and now to change the course of a deadly disease forever.

My passion has evolved. I feel like I’ve lived two lives. During a very successful career in the corporate world I felt a responsibility to help women who haven’t had opportunity or mentors, and open doors for them and help them realize their potential.  Now I dedicate my life to cancer charity work.  I see it as an evolution of my commitment to helping women; in this case to recapture their lives. I meet women “trapped” in their diagnosis and I help them formulate a new life, to thrive and find a new definition of success and happiness within the constraints that may come from their illness.

After years of coping with my own cancer, I sunk into a deep depression following the death of my grandson from brain cancer.  For a long while I questioned why he died and yet I was alive.  One day I changed the question; I started asking myself why I was alive, which led me down a new path.

Q: Who or what inspired you to follow your current path?

First I believed that I could not affect the disease, so I decided to help women cope with ovarian cancer.  After a fortuitous meeting with Pat Goldman, an ovarian cancer survivor who first championed the cause, I made a major shift from just helping the patient to finding an even higher purpose–changing the course of the disease altogether.  This includes being part of the drive to the how, when and where ovarian cancer gets solved. Pat’s strength helped  me realize that  I didn’t need to be a doctor, that it takes patient leadership to make a substantive change  in this disease.  Pat truly helped me to see my own potential.  Monday-OCNA-on-Lifetime.

I hope other women realize as I have, that  nothing will ever be perfect: good enough is good enough.  Figure out what you have to bring, and stop focusing on what you don’t have.

 We are the movement, we are not waiting for the movement. We can change things.  Don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying I believe I can do it all, but I realize I don’t have to.  I have found  my place in the army–the army that together can change the world.  This is so different than in corporate America.  This work is selfless. I don’t believe  my work will benefit me.  It’s for the next generation.  It’s joyful work, standing with women who share my hope for the future – a future for other people.  These people I meet are giving of themselves for people that will never know who we are.

Read more about Annette’s journey in her book Outside The Lines . . . of Love, Life, and Cancer – a riveting tale of surviving ovarian cancer.

Share your story: what motivates you to help others ?

Welcome to a series I am calling “In Pursuit of Passion.” I have met many interesting people on my travels as Executive Vice President of National Wildlife Federation. But for this series, I’ve chosen to showcase those living life with extreme passion and in doing so ignite my passion. May their stories do the same for you.

I have never met Valerie Zelko, but I have  test driven her Chevy Volt and I loved the entire experience.  During a recent phone conversation, I could tell that her lifelong passion for cars was rivaled only by her passion for nature and sustainability. I felt an instant  connection to this Toronto native.

As a development and validation engineer at General Motors,Valerie takes GM cars all over the country, mostly to remote   locations with extreme weather onditions, to test electric motors in the most severe temperature and thermal conditions.

As we spoke, Valerie’s passion for what she does seems to come in large part, from the alignment between her personal values and her professional role.

Q: What are you most passionate about?

I grew up skiing, camping; whatever it was, we did it outside.  We were an outdoor family.  We spent most summers on a lake and so conservation was ingrained at a young age.  We developed an appreciation for nature.  I definitely believe this led me to pursue a career in sustainability. My dad was a mechanic, I’ve always been interested in cars, especially fuel cell and hybrid cars.

Sustainability is an idea that is attainable for most everyone.  Each of us can make changes in our everyday living to reduce our impact on the earth.  I look at it in the context of taking many small steps.  It’s important that we each analyze our actions like consumption, waste, our energy use and see how we can improve.  I am so excited about the  Chevy Volt, as it reduces our individual use of oil and carbon emissions.  Test drive the Chevy Volt and learn how it can become your primary car.  I love the way to looks and drives.

Q: Is there someone who inspired you?

My parents have always given me confidence to follow my dreams and be comfortable asking questions to learn more. I studied mechanical engineering and worked with other auto manufacturers before joining GM almost six years ago. I am proud of the work we do and that I have found a career where my interest in cars and personal values can come together.

I am interested to hear how others have blended their passions with their careers…

I first met Laurie David 20 years ago when she was living in New York City.  Since then she  has become a force for change.  As part of my series on passion, I interviewed Laurie to learn more about her source of energy.

Q: What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about so many things that this in and of itself is a problem!

I think my passion for the environment was part of my DNA…otherwise how would you explain that by age 8 I was obsessed with the problem of littering! But I have had many mentors over the years who have taught me so much and I am incredibly grateful to them, including:  John Adams, Frances Beinecke, Bobby Kennedy, Arianna Huffington and Dr. Harvey Karp.

About a decade ago, one of my mentors gave me some great advice which was to narrow my focus and pick one thing to work on. As an advocate, I am solution oriented.  I don’t just want to complain; I want to change things. So his advice was sage. At that time I put all my energies into the issue of global warming which was, in my view, the mother of all issues.

Q: What inspired you to follow your current path?

I recently narrowed my focus – -thanks to a crazy epiphany I had sitting at my kitchen table.  I am now concentrating on food issues, which to me is just another way into the issue of climate.  How and what we eat, what we waste and what we grow are all environmental issues.  They are also health issues and I am excited to find new ways to bring people into the issues of the environment, even if they would never label themselves environmentalists. After all, we all have to eat and so many of the problems we are facing today actually cross the dinner plate.

Over dinner with friends or family explore the idea of passion. Share your conversation with us and to thank you for joining the conversation, we’ll send a copy of  Laurie’s book to 5 lucky recipients.

Valentine’s Day has always seemed odd to me.  Don’t get me wrong, I like chocolate. But I’ve never understood the need for outpouring of love on one designated day. Is the concept of love so fleeting that we need Hallmark to remind us to express our deepest emotions?  And is love different from passion?  A search on Google or iTunes would suggest it is.

According to The Beatles, ” All You Need Is Love.”    In contrast, Denis Diderot the French philospher said, “Only passions, great passions can elevate the soul to great things.”  More recently, Oprah Winfrey described passion as energy, the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.

So Love or Passion?

I have met hundreds of  interesting people on my travels as Executive Vice President of National Wildlife Federation:  people who are making a difference in their communities protecting wildlife, combating climate change and connecting kids and families with the natural world.  And yet, there is a small subset of people with whom I don’t want the conversation to end.  And when it does, I have a more hopeful, more energized feeling than before we began.  I began to wonder if there is something this select few have in common. I think their secret sauce is passion.

In honor of Valentine’s Day I am embarking on a journey to explore the influence of passion and where it comes from. I have interviewed women from across the country whose personal stories are compelling to me, all of whom have followed very different paths to uncover and express their passion. 

Join my journey to uncover the soure and power of passion.  I think it may be the essential element to happiness and success when hard work, long hours and luck aren’t enough.

As a stereotypical type A, I’ve been reflecting on 2010.  Why wait till New Year’s?

I am thankful for NWF supporters who have played an important role in helping NWF protect wildlife for our children’s future.   I am proud that through participation in NWF education programs and through reading NWF’s Ranger Rick and Your Big Backyard magazines my daughters have learned that regardless of age, we all have the ability to make a difference for wildlife and nature. I am very fortunate to be part of a team leading the way on many important wildlife victories.

NWF is comprised of people who care.  People who donate their time and money to make a difference.  I have met many amazing individuals as I traveled the country this year including:

• Grace, an articulate 10 year old who rallied her Virginia community;
• Rosina, a soft spoken but unwavering mother and community leader in New Orleans;
• Ben, a new dad and organizer hoping to pass along his sportsman traditions; and
• Doug, a retired timber executive in Seattle turned avid birder and naturalist.

In 2010, we expanded our commitment to connecting kids with nature by hosting Hike & Seek events across the country. Two young girls thanked me as they were leaving Hike & Seek in Maryland.  They said, “Today was the bestest day ever.”  We also expanded Great American Backyard Campout to include more families, scouting troops and communities camping out in backyards and campgrounds across the country.

Along with successes in 2010 we experienced what may be the worst environmental disaster of the decade – the massive Gulf Oil Disaster.  However, even through the darkest days of the disaster, we were buoyed by the passion of National Wildlife Federation supporters.  Thanks to the generosity of so many, just days after the rig exploded spilling thousands of gallons of oil, NWF  deployed teams to the gulf, assessing and interpreting the disaster, helping reporters see and understand the devastating impact on the marshes, aquatic species and birds.  When others were merely watching oil spewing into the Gulf, NWF was taking bold steps to raise awareness, to protect human health, wildlife, and fragile habitat.  NWF took a leadership role in providing timely information that equipped educators and parents to talk with children and teens in age and developmentally appropriate ways. Our commitment to coastal Louisiana continues through our partnerships with state and local groups working towards long term habitat restoration efforts.

Being type A isn’t all bad.

Instead of waiting until January to make a New Year’s resolution, act now. Join me and take a stand for nature and wildlife and make a tax deductible contribution before December 31^st.

As we shared stories from Craig’s life, his passion for NWF’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program, his involvement in our Schoolyard Habitat program and his longstanding dedication towards NWF Habitat volunteers, we laughed together and shed a few tears.

Instead, every story about Craig also included Craig and an experience the storyteller had with him. Craig made each of one us, and the people who left over 20,000 comments on his Caring Bridge site feel special.  Regardless of  the question you asked about a specific plant or bird or butterfly species, he never made you feel stupid.  This fact fueled a few laughs we all had at the stupidity of some of the questions we had asked of him over the years.

In addition to his gift of knowledge about the natural world he had another gift.  It is not just what Craig knew that attracted so many people to him.  It’s how he went about doing what he did, and that was spreading his passion for the natural world and trying to connect as many as people as possible to it.  Craig  built relationships with the people he met along the way.  No matter the activity.

He had the ability to just be.  To just be in the moment, whether it was taking a group on a nature hike, a bird walk, a gardening workshop, training volunteers  or informally observing wildlife wherever his travels took him.  Craig had the ability to really live in the moment.

Nike is known for its slogan: Just do it!  I think Craig’s would be:  Just be, and preferably outside.

What would your personal slogan be?

It’s hard to believe 3 months have passed since the day I spent on a flat bottom boat, under the raging Gulf sun, surrounded by oil, meandering through the Gulf coast marsh with Rosina and her 8 year-old nephew. Back home in Maryland, where my routine varies with each sunrise, I find myself in awe of Rosina and her tribe, who’s daily routines have remained remarkably unaltered for generations (at least until the oil spill hit, threatening their culture and way of life). My time in and around Louisiana changed me. It sneaks up on me in unexpected ways.

At back-to-school night at my daughter’s middle school, the science teacher spent considerable time talking about the Outdoor Education program for the 6th graders.

Under the program, students get to:

• spend 3 days learning about the Chesapeake Bay watershed
• hike through the woods,
• collect water samples in the creek,
• sleep in bunks
• prepare their own meals

I don’t know who was more excited about the program – me or

my daughter. Yet, as I looked around the room, I noticed many did not share our level of excitement. This is likely due the fact that for this group of more than 100 pre-teens, the nature of their childhood doesn’t have much nature in it and sadly, they reflect the national norm.

Realizing this, I am even more amazed at the kids in Rosina’s tribe. Unlike my daughter’s classmates,  they don’t need a 3 day outing to introduce them to nature. Not only do these kids know their native trees, local birds and critters but they know them in the way you know a best friend.  You know more than their name or color of their hair. You know their favorite food and when something is wrong.

This Saturday my family and I will participate in Hike & Seek.  As I encourage my friends and family
to join us, I do so not only with the knowledge that it will be a fun outdoor experience but also with the importance that kids need to know their local trees and native wildlife so that as they grow, so too will their relationship with and desire to protect the significance and natural beauty of their place, the Chesapeake Bay.