![[Image Description: The Clark Fork river, surrounded by bright green shrubs, bushes, and trees. Clouds cover the sky and hide the tops of the mountains in the distance.]](https://cdn.firespring.com/images/1cf59c96-ce8f-4100-957d-901240b02215.jpg)
Natalie Hamel - Field Coordinator
Growing up just outside Portland, Oregon, Natalie was fortunate to spend much of her early life outdoors. She moved to Missoula to finish her undergraduate degree at the University of Montana in 2015 and there she cultivated a love for hiking, backpacking, and playing ultimate frisbee in countless beautiful places. After graduating from UM she thought she'd try out that trail work thing so many people had been talking about. Over the course of her first season, Montana Conservation Corps opened up an entirely new perspective to the places she'd come to love and call home, and encouraged her to develop skills she'd never before approached in a traditional setting.
Following her first season with MCC, Natalie worked trails in Colorado, spent a season as Senior Crew Leader with the Western Wildlands Region of MCC, worked at the Humane Society of Western Montana introducing pet adopters to beloved new additions to their families, and has joyfully returned to MCC as a Field Coordinator for the Western Wildland Region. When not at work, Natalie can be found hiking with her dog, reading, learning how to roller skate, and tending to her garden.
