Volunteer of the Month – Erik Miller

Our November Volunteer of the Month is Indianapolis native, Erik Miller. Erik loves to be outdoors, where he spent most of his youth. When it came time to find work, his love of the outdoors and nature’s constant changes led him to work with trees. Erik loves the physical work involved and the risk keeps him constantly interested and engaged. Plus, as he says, “Trees are cool.”

This strong connection to trees and the outdoors brought him to Crown Hill Cemetery. As a friend of our arboretum director Carrie Tauscher, Erik volunteers in his free time and helps Carrie plant and water trees. He offers Carrie second opinions regarding troublesome trees and does anything else to help in the arboretum, including talking about trees to student groups visiting the cemetery and showing them how the work is done.

Erik says the site has offered him a special appreciation for the challenges trees face in an active cemetery and for the educational opportunities at Crown Hill Cemetery. When asked what he loves the best about Crown Hill, Erik replied, “Everyone should have seen the whorled milkweeds I planted with students last May in the pollinator’s garden. They did great and were feeding happy, chubby monarch caterpillars all summer. I am happy to have been part of developing the nature trail and starting to manage invasive species in the South Woods!” It’s his energy and love for nature that makes us appreciate Erik as much as he loves trees!

If you would like to volunteer at Crown Hill Cemetery and Arboretum, check out our website for more details or to find the application.