Madison Public Library and Madison Parks announced on Thursday that Alex Booker is the 2024 Naturalist-in-Residence. Booker will lead a six-week nature residency from July 15-Aug. 23 that will take place in libraries and green spaces across Madison.
Booker, the manager of the Badger Rock Neighborhood Center, is a Madison native who has always loved the outdoors.
“One of my most fond nature memories is going to my family farm in Mississippi, being amongst family, and riding in the back of my great-grandpa’s pickup truck,” said Booker in a statement. “There were different types of critters down there and bigger bugs, too! I’ve always enjoyed exploring different types of wildlife and plant life.”
The theme of Booker’s residency is “Find Your Way Back to Nature” and will focus on ways to reconnect with the ecosystems that surround us, according to a press release from the City of Madison, and naturalist programs will include nature walks, tea blending, flower arranging, sound baths, and more, and will take place in parks and libraries across the city. Specific programs will be announced on Madison Public Library’s website in July.
“My goal is to help people hear the messages nature is trying to give us by exploring traditional ways of connecting to the land,” said Booker. “The lessons we learn by observing the natural ecosystem can help people take steps to become the person they want to be in our community ecosystem.”
