Raised in Plymouth, where her family still lives, Rachel Bruce (formerly Rachel Calderara) considers herself a “townie.” While growing up, she would have told you that she planned to travel, move far away, and have big adventures. And she did…but ultimately, the people and places that make this area home repeatedly drew her back. Now she’s looking forward to her upcoming wedding and just bought a house, choosing to stick close to her local roots. Rachel loves the beach, naming Plymouth’s Long Beach – where she spent weekends and summers throughout her life and now enjoys walking in the shoulder seasons – as one of her favorites. She loves the sunshine, kayaking, and playing with her dog. She says she considers herself a “people-forward thinker,” and enjoys working to improve community well-being. She has a desire to share with others the connectedness and peace that can be found in nature, and it is this goal that inspired many of her early travels. Rachel has built her career interacting with and educating people in a variety of outdoor settings across the country, including a total of more than 5 years at Wildlands Trust interspersed with her more distant ventures. When asked what she considers Wildlands’ most important function, she says it’s, “providing access to nature that’s truly free for visitors, and helping people to discover these areas.”
Rachel graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. She’s worked in outdoor education at both the YMCA in Sandwich, MA and the Northwest Outdoor Science School, in Rockaway Beach, OR, and was awarded a professional naturalist fellowship at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, in Lanesboro, MN. She also gained valuable experience volunteering with the Mass Audubon Boston Nature Center, Healthy Plymouth Youth Engagement, and Mass Land Trust Coalition’s Young Land Professionals. At Wildlands Trust, she got her start as an Americorps service member before being hired for the roles of programming coordinator & educator, then outreach & education manager. In 2020, amid pandemic changes that significantly limited programs and community engagement opportunities, Rachel accepted a position as the education advisor for an American Student Assistance program at Brockton High School. When the program’s funding was unexpectedly discontinued at the end of 2021, though, the timing was perfect for her to return to Wildlands’ newly created position, director of special projects!
