Pinelands Adventures Now Open
Get to know Krissy Raudys, the Director of Pinelands Adventures!
April is the month of exploration for Pinelands Preservation Alliance and its initiative of Pinelands Adventures! In the Pinelands the spring peeper starts calling , sassafras buds emerge, cedar swamps fill with vitality, and the paddling season is in full swing!
Pinelands Adventures was created from the desire to share the beauty and importance of the Pine Barrens with those local and non-local to the Pinelands. If people haven’t experienced the wildly charming, yet mysterious and unique characteristics of the Pinelands then it may be challenging for them to look past the “barren” in the Pine Barrens. The Pinelands often get depicted as land that is void of life, but it is quite the opposite. The Pinelands are filled with diversity and are home to the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer which supplies trillions of gallons of fresh water to South Jersey and beyond!
Krissy Raudys, the Director of Pinelands Adventures, helps create hands-on opportunities for people to experience the Pinelands and create a sense of place there. What better way to welcome in the paddling and hiking season with Pinelands Adventures than getting to know Krissy a bit better?
First, it would help to have some background on Krissy. Krissy has a Bachelor of Science in Adventure Recreation from Green Mountain College and specialized in outdoor/adventure sports, leadership development, and risk management. She has years of experience leading trips and creating programs in the outdoor industry from being a divemaster/deckhand on a catamaran in Hawaii to working at Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst as the Adventure Programmer and hunting/fishing coordinator. With this background knowledge and experience, Krissy was an ideal candidate for the Director position at Pinelands Adventures. The opportunity to work at Pinelands Adventures allows Krissy to use her leadership and programming skills in an environment that is open to trying new things.
What Krissy loves the most about the Pinelands is the fact that it truly is wilderness. There are not many places in New Jersey that provide the peace and solitude that can be found in the Pinelands. There is a mystery to the Pinelands that is fascinating to her. The uniqueness and delicacy of the ecology of the area makes it fragile yet enduring.
For the upcoming Pinelands Adventures season, Krissy is most looking forward to revitalizing the guided programming they offer. Pinelands Adventures offers insightful guided programs that share Pineland’s history allowing guests to connect with the Pinelands in a novel way. Some new and exciting guided programs offered this year are Beaver Ecology and monthly sunset hikes/paddles. The staff at Pinelands Adventures are encouraged to use their passions and interests to cultivate unique and engaging programs! Krissy is all about making experiences fun, so Pinelands Adventures will be implementing themed weeks while out on adventures. Guests can play along with the fun by dressing up on the water or land for the specific theme of the week! You can find each month’s collection of themes on the Adventures Blog at www.pinelandsadventures.org.
We asked Krissy how people could get involved in protecting the Pinelands. She suggested supporting the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and similar organizations that are protectors of the Pinelands. But, on a personal level, she suggested going out and exploring. Grab a Pinelands Adventures Map (which you can get online or at Pinelands Adventures), make a checklist, and go see all the areas of the Pine Barrens, not just the ones close and familiar to you. Be sure to follow and promote Leave No Trace ethics when exploring!
Krissy wanted to highlight the Pinelands Adventures staff and how incredibly lucky she is to have the most dedicated, caring, knowledgeable, and hardest working staff in the Pinelands. The entire staff is talented, inquisitive, adventurous, helpful, curious, and friendly. Pinelands Adventures is dedicated to running a high-quality livery service and the crew makes all the difference. Krissy is honored to collaborate with them, hear their ideas, indulge in their passions, and stoke their fire for sharing their love for the Pine Barrens with all the guests.
Make sure to check out the Pinelands Adventures guided trips and lessons calendar to explore the beautiful and mysterious Pinelands and engage with the enthusiastic and dedicated crew! Be sure to say, “Hello!” to Krissy if you see her. Pinelands Adventures is open and ready to explore with you!