Spotlight on Kinner Ingram -- Virginia Department of Forestry

Kinner Ingram was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia. He has always viewed Roanoke as the gateway to southwest Virginia. He attended Virginia Tech, which is “just 45 minutes up the road from Roanoke.” He started out majoring in wildlife science, then gravitated towards a Conservation major that was “more hands-on."  During his undergraduate years he worked each summer at a regional wildlife rehabilitation operation. “I have always enjoyed watching animals in their natural habitats,” he said. He found that working in wildlife rehabilitation helped him learn many of the small adaptations that help animals do what they need to do. 
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Kinner's selfie in the field


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Kinner and his dog, Jazzeroo

Kinner’s first job after college was with the Virginia Department of Conservation, where he worked in a number of state parks. When he was stationed at Westmoreland State Park--a river bluff park on the Potomac’s Northern Neck peninsula--he met his future wife, whose father was the Assistant Park Superintendent.

Kinner is currently the Senior Area Forester, Rappahannock Work Area with the Virginia Department of Forestry. His current assignment is in the Rappahannock Work Area. On the day we met for this interview, he shared that he had worked three fires that day. “Personnel from Forestry are often called to help local fire departments” so he kept his two-way radio on while we talked.

​When and how did you become interested in nature and the natural world? 
“I have always enjoyed nature,” Kinner stated. “I remember being the kid in the neighborhood who was always outside. If there was a sport, I would play it in our yard, or neighbor’s yard.”   Kinner recalls that he grew up in a family that went camping often. “When we went camping, I would ride my bike around the campsite, go hiking and fishing.” Kinner’s interest in nature continued throughout his childhood. “Seeing and finding little critters was the highlight of my time outdoors,” he said.

​Describe what you do on your property to support a healthy ecosystem.
His “dream” property would have a field of warm-season grasses and a pollinator meadow that attracts bees, allowing him to put in beehives.  He would probably put up some bat boxes given the struggle bats are having with diseases and pathogens. If he buys land, he will be aggressive in removing invasive plants. If he had 100-200 acres, “I’d like to do a really big quail project” and create some standing dead trees for woodpeckers, owls and flying squirrels. “But I don’t necessarily want to own a lot of property given the work it would need,” he said with a smile.
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What is the most amazing thing you have experienced in nature?
Kinner described two experiences that immediately came to mind. “We were conducting a prescribed burn in a field and I saw a turtle digging a hole to escape the heat,” he said. “And while it was painful, I also remember very clearly when I was bitten by an owl when I worked in animal rehabilitation.” He also recalled what it was like as a teenager sitting in a tree stand in the early morning hours and “watching the world come alive around me.”
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​Consistent with his fascination with nature, Kinner recounted a time during his wildlife rehab experience when a woodpecker was brought in but did not survive. The vet on duty performed an autopsy and showed the employees how a woodpecker’s tongue is exceptionally long and wraps around its skull as a cushion when the woodpecker is drilling holes.

​What is something you would like to share with ORMN members?
Kinner recently became the ORMN chapter advisor. He shared several things about himself that he wanted our members to know:

• “I never want to stop teaching and learning about the natural world around me.”
• “I enjoy practicing ‘phone photography’ when I am in the field. I have tons of nature pictures on my phone.” [CU: I can attest to this as Kinner showed me quite a few during his interview!]
• “I LOVE Virginia Tech sports.”
• “I love helping people. Watching folks grow and become better at what they do brings me great joy.”​​