Volunteer of the Month: Raymond Morris

Celebrating a lifelong commitment to learning, conservation, and community stewardship.

For Raymond Morris, becoming a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist was an opportunity to turn a lifelong love of the outdoors into meaningful environmental action. Since joining the program’s first Allegheny County class in 2018, Raymond has become a dedicated volunteer, contributing hundreds of hours each year to conservation, environmental education, and community science.

Now retired, Raymond was once the CEO of the Society of Automotive Engineers. But after retirement, he wanted to revisit a dream he had held since high school: working as a game warden or forest ranger. Although he knew those careers were no longer practical options, he sought other ways to make a positive impact on the environment.

His search led him to the Pennsylvania Master Naturalist program after he read about it in a publication from the Allegheny Land Trust. Having spent a lifetime outdoors, taking classes, and reading extensively about nature, Raymond wanted to deepen his knowledge and gain additional credibility as an educator. He was particularly interested in strengthening his understanding of subjects such as geology and herpetology.

The program delivered on those goals. Raymond praises the locally tailored curriculum and the opportunity to learn from both instructors and fellow participants. He encourages prospective Master Naturalists to join regardless of their backgrounds or experience, emphasizing that everyone has something to learn and something to contribute.

Since completing the program, Raymond has become one of its most active advocates. He was the first person in western Pennsylvania to reach 1,000 volunteer hours and proudly wears his Master Naturalist badge at events throughout the community.

Growing a Community of Conservationists

Raymond’s volunteer work spans a remarkable range of environmental initiatives throughout Allegheny County.

As chair of the Pine Township Environmental Advisory Council (EAC), where he has served for six years, Raymond helps connect residents with environmental education and conservation opportunities. He has helped establish quarterly speaker events and bird walks, coordinate tree giveaways and plantings, install bird boxes, and bring environmental priorities into the township’s comprehensive planning process.

Through a partnership with Tree Pittsburgh, the EAC has distributed more than 500 trees to residents. Raymond also helped organize the township’s first Earth Day events, highlighting environmental issues as part of its 2026–2036 comprehensive plan.

His conservation work extends to the Irwin Run Conservation Area, owned by the Allegheny Land Trust. For the past six or seven years, Raymond has served as a steward alongside fellow Master Naturalist Ken Knapp. Together, they help maintain trails, plant trees, and install bird boxes. Under Ken’s leadership, the pair have helped plant several hundred trees, many through Pennsylvania’s 10 Million Tree Partnership.

Raymond also serves on Trout Unlimited’s National Committee on Climate Change. Through this work, he participates in discussions and initiatives addressing climate change and its effects on waterways, including efforts to develop presentations about climate impacts on streams and engage with policymakers.

A Passion for Bluebirds

One of Raymond’s most significant volunteer commitments is a bluebird nest box monitoring program he coordinates with Ken Knapp.

The program includes more than 400 nest boxes across Allegheny County and relies on a network of more than 150 volunteer monitors. Many of the boxes are located in North Park, where the program began at Latodami Nature Center, with others distributed throughout surrounding communities.

Volunteers receive training to monitor their assigned boxes and record nesting activity, including eggs and fledglings. Each box has a unique QR code that allows monitors to submit weekly updates, helping the team track nesting progress and better understand bluebird populations.

Raymond personally monitors approximately 25 boxes and has helped build and install many others. The program’s thoughtful approach to box design, monitoring, and data collection has earned recognition from the Pennsylvania Bluebird Society. Ken received an award in 2022, followed by Raymond in 2023.

The program demonstrates how community science can bring people together around a shared conservation goal while generating valuable information about local wildlife.

Learning Never Stops

Beyond his ongoing conservation commitments, Raymond continues to share his knowledge through environmental education. He previously taught the introductory What Is a Naturalist? class for Allegheny County participants and helped review capstone project presentations. More recently, he has organized and co-led birding field trips twice a year.

His interest in learning is just as strong as his commitment to teaching. Raymond regularly participates in classes, both online and in person, and continues to enjoy hiking and fly-fishing. He averages around 6,000 steps a day, much of it spent in the woods, sometimes accompanied by his Springer Spaniel.

For Raymond, being a naturalist means remaining curious and recognizing that there is always more to learn. He also values the relationships built through the program. One of his favorite memories from his 2018 training class is a field trip to Winfield Pines that involved a long hike in the rain. Despite the challenging conditions, the experience helped bond the class, and an iconic group photograph from the outing continues to resurface among classmates.

His friendship with Ken Knapp, whom he met during that first training class, has grown into a lasting partnership in conservation. Together, they have helped lead numerous projects that benefit local wildlife and communities.

When asked what he tells people considering the Pennsylvania Master Naturalist program, Raymond emphasizes the quality of the curriculum and the value of learning alongside people with different backgrounds and experiences.

“Regardless of your background and experience you will learn a great deal, especially from fellow classmates who each bring something to the class.”

Raymond’s dedication embodies the spirit of the Pennsylvania Master Naturalist program. Through his continued learning, environmental leadership, and commitment to community-based conservation, he demonstrates how one person’s passion for nature can inspire others and make a lasting difference.

Thank you, Raymond, for your years of service and for helping make Pennsylvania a better place for people and wildlife!