Kashena Hottinger is an Indiana Accredited Horticulturist and has worked at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Indianapolis for over a year. In the past, she has worked as a naturalist at the conservatory, Eagle Creek Park, and the Brown County Nature Center in Brown County State Park. She is an Advanced Indiana Master Naturalist, was a nationally Certified Interpretive Guide, and has a BS in Education with a focus on Environmental Education.
She discovered her love for birding after spotting her “spark bird”, the Cedar Waxwing, in her backyard almost two decades ago. After that sighting, her love for backyard bird watching turned into a lifelong love of birding, filled with chasing lifers and road trips with friends. She has led ABAS hikes at Brown County State Park, as well as numerous flora hikes all over the state. While she would say that the Wood Thrush has the best song in the state, her heart leans toward the Blackburnian Warbler when it comes to her all-time favorite (just don’t tell the thrush that).
In her down time, she has spent decades honing her skills as an Indianapolis artist, setting up booths at fairs such as the Broad Ripple Art Fair and the Fountain Square Art Festival. She transitions between acrylic paintings featuring nature subjects, and stained glass mosaic work. She is a lover of dogs (especially bully breeds), snakes (especially the Timber Rattlesnake), and birds. Her favorite local birding spots are Sodalis Nature Park, Southwestway Park, Eagle Creek Park, and Ft. Ben Harrison State Park. She’s excited to join ABAS and can’t wait to contribute to the conservation aspect of our local birding patches.