Nicole Ulacky, Salt Lake City, UT

Nicole was born and raised in Boise, Idaho, where she grew up with the outdoors in her backyard. Nicole's first SCA experience was mapping backcountry geothermal features in Yellowstone National Park while completing her undergraduate degree in Environmental Ethics and Policy at the University of Portland. This SCA experience opened doors to working in public lands management, non-profit internship program management, and public power. Most recently, Nicole took advantage of the amazing opportunity to study visitor injuries and safety in Zion National Park with SCA following the completion of her master's degree.

Nicole completed her MPA in Environmental and Natural Resources Policy from Boise State University in 2011, and currently works as a Natural Resources Project Coordinator for an environmental consulting firm in Salt Lake City, UT. Nicole's favorite naturalist is John Muir, and her favorite Muir quote is: "I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." In addition to visiting national parks, Nicole's favorite activities include the usual: hiking, biking, and yoga. Nicole sees "nature" through many lenses - as a gritty mix of the pristine and the developed, and as having both a past and a future. Nicole hopes to impact this future in a positive way by helping SCA develop the next generation of conservation leaders to manage our protected spaces and species for the benefit of current and future generations.