In January, an Ann Arbor area-high school student had a simple idea: build an owl nest box and install it on a local nature preserve.
A few months later, that idea took flight at a Legacy Land Conservancy preserve, thanks to our volunteer program designed to turn personal passions into real conservation impact.
For Shelley Ouyang, the project was about more than building a box–it was about finally finding a way to contribute.
“Owls are really, really cute. I've always had a passion for nature and animals (especially birds), but I always felt like I was too young, too ignorant, or too powerless to actually make a positive change on the environment,” Ouyang said. “Now that I'm older, I realized I could've started way longer ago. I decided I was well overdue for a meaningful contribution--that being the owl nest box.”
After connecting with Legacy’s Preserve Stewardship Manager Kyler Moran, Shelley worked together with staff to develop a plan and select a site at Johnson Preserve.
In February, she visited the preserve with Kyler to identify the best location. By March, she returned with a hand-built owl box and installed it. In an ongoing effort she’ll be returning periodically to monitor it and report her findings to Legacy.
Projects like this are exactly what Legacy’s “Choose Your Own Adventure” volunteer model is designed to support.
“Shelley’s motivation to make a meaningful positive impact for the species she cares most about is emblematic of the impact of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” volunteer model,” Moran said. “She had an idea for a way to help, and we gave her the space and opportunity to do so on our preserves. Johnson Preserve benefited from the addition of bird nesting habitat–and we all had a lot of fun working together along the way.”
The “Choose Your Own Adventure” model is more than a concept. At its core, it’s about flexibility.
Volunteers work with staff to shape opportunities around their skills, interests, and goals, whether that means joining an existing program or creating something entirely new.
The result is a more personal way to engage that benefits both the volunteer and the land.
Shelley’s project is just one example of how volunteers are shaping their own path. Last year, volunteer Mitch Zoet brought a different skillset offering drone flights to help track the impact of prescribed fire on a Legacy preserve.
For some volunteers, the journey evolves over time. John and Penny Owen, volunteers since 2003, have spent most of their time as photomonitors. But they are now choosing to transition back to tabling–the opportunity that first brought them to Legacy.
“Tabling is how John and I found Legacy and started as volunteers over 20 years ago” said Legacy volunteer Penny Owen. “I’m excited to get back to my roots with Legacy and start tabling again.”
Others have taken a different approach and are not only shifting from one opportunity to another, but engaging in new ways to work with Legacy. Steve Gilzow, a longtime photomonitor, was delighted by the presentation on trail stewardship at our annual volunteer season kickoff event in March and has signed on as a trail steward at Sharon Hills.
Whether it’s building habitat, sharing a skill, or trying something entirely new, Legacy volunteers are finding meaningful ways to connect with the land and make a difference.
“Being open to the different ways people share their passion and talents creates space for people to show up as their best selves, and that has changed Legacy for the better,” Legacy Donor Outreach Coordinator Hannah Weilnau said. “I love seeing our volunteers choose their own adventure.”
The volunteer season is underway, but there’s always time to jump in and get involved. Explore opportunities, bring your ideas, and choose your own adventure.
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Our 2026 volunteer season kickoff event was a huge success! Thank you to all new and returning volunteers who packed the house to choose their own adventure.
