Marilyn Kolton and Lou Dwarshius- 2024 Naturalists of the Year – presented by Jessie Wilder

It is my privilege to tell you a bit about the 2024 Naturalists of the Year, Marilyn Kolton
and Lou Dwarshius. When it comes to Marilyn and Lou, if you get one of them, you get
the other as a bonus. They come as a pair.

Marilyn and Lou started as instructors in the Blue Ridge Naturalist in 2006. They have
been volunteering as walk leaders with the BRNN since the network formed. For 19
years I have had the privilege to learn from them and to call them my friends.

Both Marilyn and Lou were engaged in nature from childhood and they became
especially drawn to birds and wildflowers. Marilyn was the first of this pair to develop
an interest in birds. She joined the Audubon Society in Ann Arbor, Mi. and started
learning about the joy of birding. When there were no birds present, she and the other
birders focused on the wildflowers they were seeing. And as Marilyn says, “They are a
lot easier to I.D. as they aren’t flying around.” Later, Marilyn also led bird walks in the
parks in Chicago and went on to serve as President of the local Audubon Society in
Danville, Illinois where she and Lou lived for some time after they were married. Lou
also served a term as President of this Audubon chapter.

Lou and Marilyn retired to Asheville in 1997. They were valued volunteers at TNCA
where they lead wildflower walks and taught seasonal birding classes for years. After
joining the Center for Creative Retirement (now OLLIE), they volunteered in the College
for Seniors program teaching members about birds and local wildflowers. They have
traveled extensively in the U.S. birding and exploring. Lou and Marilyn spend 2 months
in the winter in SW Florida. When my husband and I wintered in Florida, we loved to
meet them at the Celery Fields in Sarasota and tap into their knowledge of the Florida
birds. Some of the countries they have visited and birded in include: Canada, Belize,
Trinidad and Tobago, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Besides being knowledgeable about nature, Lou is handy woodworker. If you spend time
at the Botanical Gardens in Asheville you have most likely benefited from steps and
stairs and shade structures co-built by Lou.

In 2005, the BRN offered its first classes and I remember Marilyn coming by my office at
the Reuter Center and expressing how excited she was about our programs focused on
the natural world of the Blue Ridge. I liked her right away and not long after, I was
introduced to Lou and our mutual admiration society was off and running.

It was in 2006 that the BRN offered our first birding class. It was a core class for
certificate students and I worked with M&L to design the birding curriculum. I wanted
the classes to be thorough and the classes we offered back then were 8 sessions long.
We designed a birding course that included bird anatomy and physiology, birding
equipment and birding etiquette. We visited multiple bird habitats. M&L knew all the
best birding spots and had great connections. They got us onto the back fields at the
Biltmore Estate and a variety of other locations. At our last class they took us up to
Purchase Knob where we had the privilege of working with staff in banding migrating
warblers that we caught in nets. We measured and weighed them, recorded their sex
and clipped their little toenails to get a drop of blood that would tell us if they had mite
DNA, an infestation that might adversely affect their health. This gave the students a
taste of what citizen science was about. The memory of that awesome day is one I will
always carry with me.

Marilyn and Lou both hold PhD’s in psychology and that makes them better teachers in
my opinion. They know how people tick and how they learn. They were always thorough
in their preparation for classes. They researched topics and scouted the best locations
for participants in their classes and walks. In the early days of the BRN they offered to
lead wildflower walks as fundraisers and would create fantastic experiences. They
always showed up with cookies or donuts as a bonus. They helped me apply for and
receive grant funding from our local Audubon Society where they are respected
members. We bought binoculars, birding guides and bird song texts with these funds.
They were probably the greatest cheerleaders that the BRN ever had and I will be
forever grateful for their support during some of the financial challenges of the
program’s early days. They took the 9-month long Sense of Place class that I coordinated
and fully embraced the principle that to truly know who we are, we have to know where
we are, because we are not separate from our place.

They have led wildflower walks for the BRNN that many of you may have participated in.
Some of these include: Big Creek, Pisgah Inn Loop, Bat Cave and Purchase Knob.
Marilyn and Lou are truly a gift to our community and to the BRNN. They embody the
spirit of the Blue Ridge Naturalist and helped create classes that allowed people to
explore the wonder of these beautiful mountains. I am honored to present the 2024
Naturalists of the Year award to my teachers and friends, Marilyn Kolton and Lou
Dwarshius.