Mary Klene, Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist

By Clara Getty

Mary Klene believes the voices of environmentalists are the voices of the planet.

An avid lover of the outdoors, she has been aware of the need to advocate and educate on threats to the planet since she was a young child. At 7 years old she was already aware of the damaging effects of algal blooms, toxic algae that can cause harm to humans, animals, and plants. Today, she’s passionate about protecting habitats, helping endangered species, and saving the planet.

As a student at Springboro High School in Springboro, Ohio, Mary’s teachers, mentors, and family have always been her biggest source of inspiration. Her teacher Mrs. Andrews, who manages the school’s environmental club, has been instrumental in supporting her ideas for climate activism, no matter how big or small. They’ve also instilled the confidence she’s needed to actively write and speak about environmental concerns.

Mary is the first under the age of 16 to be an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist (OCVN), a certification issued to those who have dedicated at least 40 hours to classroom and field instruction on environmental education and volunteer service. This designation has allowed her to speak at conferences, volunteer with studies on macroinvertebrates, and serve as an outdoor educator at events in her home state. Mary says being an OCVN has “helped me reach the most people, who hopefully then are inspired to make a change for the Earth's future, like a ripple effect.”

One of Mary’s biggest obstacles has been losing hope for the environment. Despite all the progress that Mary and her fellow activists have made, there will always be an opposition trying to reverse important work. Aside from her teachers and mentors, another inspiration of Mary’s is Jane Goodall. Her book, The Book of Hope, is one of her favorites because it “showcases how hope is not passive, but rather an action taken to improve the world around us. It also explains that we are hopeful because we actively see change occurring around us.”

After graduating from high school in 2025, she will begin a five year joint masters program between Xavier University and Duke University studying environmental management with a focus on community engagement and justice. Mary hopes to one day get her J.D. degree to further pursue policy and justice and to work in the international environmental policy field to help neighboring countries protect shared waterways.

Although she has big plans, her primary goal is to help others enjoy and appreciate a thriving environment.

“My mission isn't to use a big scary voice to get the attention of others. Rather, I want them to find joy, serenity, and appreciation in the outdoors. In the end, this motivates them to make those small lifestyle changes, protecting the new fondness they have for nature." — Mary Klene

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