Hello Oakland! My name is Torrey Murcott – I am a rising senior at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I graduate in 2027 with a BS in Environmental Health and Conservation.

I grew up in Southern California; after spending my youth playing in my dad’s backyard, biking around the city with my friends, chasing lizards, and hiking with my mom, I grew to love and appreciate all things nature. The summer after my freshman year at university, I worked as a summer intern for the Plaster Creek Stewards (PCS) – an organization similar to a watershed council that is hosted at Calvin University where I attend school. That was my first major learning experience with Michigan’s flora, and I have been hooked ever since. As a seasonal steward for PCS, I worked with other students to install native gardens into homes around the Plaster Creek watershed, as well as install gardens in parks, around churches or other organizations, and tend to gardens that were installed in years before. These gardens were installed with the intention to reduce the amount of runoff storm water that floods Plaster Creek annually, and help trap and reduce sediments that enter the stream. Through PCS, I learned valuable skills on conservation tactics, teamwork, community and diligence, as well as a working knowledge of land management and plant recognition.

Through my various stewardship positions, I have the most applicable knowledge in the flora of Michigan. Despite my knowledge of plants, I love all organisms, invertebrates and vertebrates alike. I love marveling at and appreciating insects, bugs, arachnids, etc. I advocate for their ecological importance in my daily life. In my friend group, I am the go-to bug person when there is any form of insect that is spotted, or if there is a spider in someone’s room. I love birds, and value any time I can spend watching them. As an amateur birder, my favorite bird is the cedar waxwing (I saw my first [living] cedar waxwing summer!). In line with birding, I love photography. I have no fancy equipment, instead I just use my phone, or my small, 10+ year old digital camera to take whatever pictures I can.

Image (left) ladybug on a golden rod. Image (right) brown beetle.

For hobbies, I would consider myself a classic outdoors-man – I enjoy exercising, hiking, backpacking, biking, camping, and I enjoy dabbling in rudimentary woodworking. I play for the club women’s rugby team at Calvin University, and I love all things arts-and-crafts, like drawing, sewing, painting, making model clay figures, etc. I enjoy cooking, I love listening to music, playing video games, world-building, and of course, spending time with friends and family.

I would love to get in touch about any recommendations you have for me regarding new music, recipes, local shops, hiking or biking routes, camping destinations, or anything new in general. Thanks for your support of the township, of conservation, of nature, of the great outdoors, and of us, the stewards!