Meet Grace Martinez

Meet Grace Martinez- Assistant Crew Lead for the Spring 2025 cohort Outdoor Leadership Corps (OLC). The OLC is a paid, green education workforce development initiative in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway and the Missouri Botanical Garden’s EarthWays Center. Grace has a background in biology, art and outdoor education and she brings this experience to her work on the greenways.

“I love working on the greenways because I’m having a direct impact on the green spaces in my community, while also working alongside friends! The artistry and science of field work makes my brain happy. When you cut down invasive honeysuckle, you have to think of which tools to use first for smaller branches, then for larger ones, which order to cut them and the physics of how they will fall, etc. It’s engaging and satisfying. I also enjoy being the OLC Assistant Crew Lead because I get to review the group project and watch the progress based on everyone’s collective work. It’s also amazing to meet so many different people in the field and gain knowledge. I am an artist, scientist, activist, and outdoor explorer and all these interests overlap in the field of conservation.”

See Grace’s art @createyourgrace