When Jennie Groves took a job two years ago as an Eco Host at the Swaner EcoCenter and Preserve, she had no idea where it might lead. True to form, Groves put her heart and soul into the work and soon was immersed in what she now says is the best job she’s ever had.

Eager for more to do, she’s taken the job to a new level by putting her education and experience to good use as well.

It’s vintage Groves. “I’d say my greatest passion in life is to protect the environment. I’m just obsessed with animals and nature in general,” she confesses. “I feel driven to connect people with nature, so that maybe they’ll think about protecting the environment as well.”

It’s a passion that has surfaced often during her working life. It’s come full circle at Swaner, where she’s creating innovative exhibits and programs she hopes will draw more people to the EcoCenter and raise awareness of important environmental issues in the area.

Groves grew up in Ohio, heir to a typical Midwestern upbringing. “We lived in a great neighborhood with lots of kids, dogs and elderly folks,” she says. After high school she attended Bowling Green State University, where she graduated with a degree in business administration. “It was not at all who I am, but whatever,” she shares.

Groves met her husband, Dan, while working in Boston, where they lived in the same apartment building. “Dan is from Michigan and is very ‘outdoorsy,’ athletic and funny,” she says. The couple moved to Vermont, where they married.

“We loved Vermont. We lived on a small ‘hobby’ farm with chickens, sheep, pheasants, guinea hens and heifers,” says Groves. She returned to college while living there, earning a master’s degree in education from Johnson State College. She went on to teach middle school in Vermont for five years. As a teacher, Groves created “progressive and constructivist” classroom programs, some of which were environmentally oriented. “I could never teach in a traditional setting because I believe the goal for a teacher is to instill a love of learning without tests and grades,” she says.

Groves left the classroom soon after her second child came along. She and Dan have two teenage sons, Sam and Clay. From Vermont the family moved to Virginia and then Des Moines, Iowa, where they lived for 10 years. While there, Groves began working part-time for area nonprofits. She helped start an environmental education program for toddlers and a community service program for children called “Kids With a Kause.” KWAKERS offered monthly community service projects for children ages 4 to 13. At Community Youth Concepts, she also went into schools to set up service-learning projects and worked with many refugees from Africa.

Groves says the move to Park City came when her husband got an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. “Dan had always wanted to be part of a start-up company and he got the chance in Salt Lake City,” she explains. “We all came out here to look at the area just to see if we wanted to move here. We looked at both Salt Lake and Park City, but we fell in love with Park City for the outdoor sports, scenery and good schools.”

Once settled, Groves searched for new challenges and soon found fertile ground at Swaner. “I’ve been working there for two years now. I love the people I work with and I love what I do,” she says. To encourage return trips to the EcoCenter, she’s created themed, rotating “touch tables,” where visitors get a tactile sense of the preserve, it’s flora and fauna. “I also run a geo-cache program, thanks to a generous grant from the Park City Rotary Club. When time allows, I lead nature walks and snowshoe tours and assist with other education programs,” she says.

Groves glows when she describes her latest project. “I’m starting a program called Swaner Kids, which will be an eco-education service-learning program for kids in grades five through eight. As I’ve said, I’m passionate about connecting people with nature and this program will be perfect for that,” she says. “Swaner is an excellent fit for me.”

VITAL STATISTICS:

Favorite activities: snowshoeing, trail running, hiking, road biking, kayaking, travel

Favorite food: scrambled eggs

Favorite reading: non-fiction and biographies

Favorite music: Celtic, folk and pop

Bucket list: visit southern Utah, especially Zion National Park; walk the “fells” of northern England.

Animal companions: Two Labs, Maggie and Nellie, and two cats, Pokey and Waffles