Margo Dawley

Margo Dawley is a recent graduate of Claremont McKenna College in Claremont California where she majored in Economics, Environment and Politics. Her senior thesis topic was “Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow: the Economics, Environmental and Political Issues of Organic Farming.” Her best experiences in college were studying abroad in Costa Rica. She got to “whomp” (the technical term for catching lizards according to the scientist supervising the project-see photo to right) lizards and wade waist deep in swamp water.

Margo’s love for the environment and farming comes from growing up on a cattle ranch in northern alifornia. It is a forty minute, seven miles of dirt road, commute to the nearest town. Her family manages the ranch using Holistic Management, so she grew up considering the effect of management decisions on the entire ecosystem – including people and their finances. From playing “house” in the wild grapevines along the creek as a kid to sitting under a big oak tree for shade in the hot California summers to hearing the wind whistling through the trees in the Sierras, Margo has always loved trees. She’s not just a tree hugger though – her other hobbies include making jewelry, walking and reading.

Washington D.C. is Margo’s current home where she works for American Forests as coordinator of the Global ReLeaf program and the Big Tree Registry and has a twenty minute metro commute that she thoroughly appreciates. She is also learning new city hobbies like playing connect four and trivial pursuit with her roommates. But of course she misses the West Coast and makes frequent trips to there to visit family, friends and the oaks and grey pines on the family ranch.

Margo can be reached at mdawley@amfor.org or (202) 737-1944.