David DesRochers, an assistant professor of biology at Dalton State College, is always willing to share his love for and knowledge about nature, both inside the classroom and outside, according to those who know and work with him.
“David is always at the Conasauga River Cleanup and does an amazing job,” said Amy Hartline, executive director of Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful. Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is a local nonprofit that, as its website notes, focuses on volunteer “activities that promote litter prevention, beautification, sustainability and water protection.”
“He doesn’t mind doing the hard work, and he really shines when connecting with the volunteers,” Hartline said. “At our last cleanup, he led some of our volunteers on an impromptu walk where he taught them (and me) how to identify common invasive species and a few native species. It’s so easy to tell what an incredible and passionate teacher he is even if you aren’t in his class.”
John Lugthart, a professor of biology at Dalton State College, said DesRochers “has a great love of nature, particularly birds, and he enjoys sharing his broad knowledge of biology and conservation with his students and community members.”
“On the Dalton State campus, David has led nature walks on the hiking trails and demonstrated bird banding to groups of all ages, supervised student research projects and helped with construction of the Roadrunner Trail System,” Lugthart said. “And as an ornithologist, David plays a key role in our community’s annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count.”
For his efforts to educate about nature and his work to improve the local environment, the Dalton Daily Citizen names David DesRochers Citizen of the Week.