Oral History Interview, Kathy Miner (2422)

Abstract

In her two April 2024 interviews with Aurora Shimshak, Kathy Miner discusses her years as a naturalist at the UW-Madison Arboretum. Miner explains what led her to this work, including a story of the first Earth Day and volunteering in the 1990s to restore oak savanna in the Monroe-Dudgeon neighborhood. She tells stories from her work as a “Lost City” tour guide for which she leads hikes through the ruins of the Lake Forest Housing development land that was eventually incorporated into the Arboretum. Finally, Miner shares her own Arboretum-inspired poetry, the symbolism behind her green Converse sneakers, and her favorite moments as an environmental educator. This interview was conducted as a final project for Professor Anna Andrzejewski’s 2024 Center for Culture, History, and the Environment (CHE) methods class and then donated to the UW Oral History Program as part of the Arboretum Oral History project.