Isabel Nazarian

Growing up in rural Ohio, Isabel developed an early love for native plants and local ecosystems. She assisted in her first restoration project at the age of 15 and volunteered at nearby park districts. She attended Ohio State University’s (OSU) School of Environment and Natural Resources, receiving a B.S. in Environmental Science with a specialization in Ecosystem Restoration and a minor in Archeology. In the summers she dedicated herself to conservation education, teaching in both Ohio and Alaska. As a Research Assistant at OSU, Isabel worked at the Rothenbuhler Honey Bee Lab, caring for over 100 beehives around Ohio and analyzing pollen extracted from honey samples. Her independent research focused on hive mortality with pesticide use, as well as the quality of restored and agricultural landscapes as foraging resources. After college, she worked as a Restoration Technician, focused primarily on helping implement wetland and prairie restoration projects. During that time, she helped assess land for compatibility with USDA conservation programs such as the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), as well as assist with site preparation, planting, and monitoring. As P2’s Midwestern Regional Partner Biologist, Isabel is excited to return to her love of pollinators and meld this with her passion for reconstructing native ecosystems. In her role as a P2 Partner Biologist, she is providing pollinator-related technical, educational, and outreach support to producers throughout the Midwest as well as to USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service staff and partners. Through this she aims to help urban and rural agricultural producers across the region establish pollinator friendly habitat by providing Farm Bill application and conservation planning support. After hours she can be found knitting, playing music, searching for native plants, and helping friends and family restore their land.