Courtney Nash is a real wild one.

Nash, a senior communication major, has been president of NIU’s Committee for the Preservation of Wildlife for three semesters. The role involves relentless letter writing to state representatives, usually before a major vote is taken on an environmental issue. She does this despite the frequent absence of personal replies.

“I mostly get form letters, but of the hundreds of letters I have gotten, I’ve received two personal responses, probably written by student aides,” Nash said. “I think it does help and when I check up on how they voted, they are honest about how they voted.”

Nash attributes her love of the outdoors to her parents, who always took her on vacations to national parks. Even as a child, she preferred national parks to Disneyland and Mickey Mouse Ears.

“The first event that really brought a love of environmental issues to me was on a trip my family and I took to Maine when I was around 10,” she said. “There were these marine biologists there helping to preserve the Puffin bird and they let us ride on a boat with them to an island to help out.”

Renee Kopulos, a biology graduate student and co-adviser for the CPW who has known Nash since she was a freshman, said she is sad Nash is nearing graduation.

“We are very good friends and we clicked early on because we share the same passion for the environment,” Kopulos said. “When she joined the group as a freshman, she showed great initiative in getting the group to sponsor a manatee and has been key since then in keeping the group motivated, active and energized.”

Nash said the key is not letting that energy translate into environmental terrorism. She cites throwing buckets of paint on people wearing fur coats and putting nails into trees as behavior she abhors.

“I’m very against that. It doesn’t accomplish anything and the person that gets hurt usually is not the person to blame,” she said. “When they throw paint on fur coats, that just means more animals will have to die to get more produced.”

Nash does not limit herself only to volunteering to help the environment. She also dedicates time to help the Muscular Dystrophy Association, having been involved with the organization as a summer camp counselor since age 16. She’s even one of those people you see on television answering phones during fundraising drives.

“Sometimes the people that are calling to donate ask for Jerry Lewis and we just have to explain that he is in the California offices and we are in the Chicago offices, so he cannot be contacted,” Nash said. “Most people take it well.”