MEET OUR COMMUNITY
Rooted in Ox-Bow Operations Manager Aaron Cook shares his own history of life lived on Ox-Bow’s campus. by Shanley Poole
Aaron Cook first encountered Ox-Bow in the summer of 2011. What he remembers most about his initial visit was the way the summer light hit the campus. “The light was at its best . . . so warm and so inviting,” Aaron says. He initially came as a guest, visiting a friend who had landed a fellowship at Ox-Bow, but would eventually come to inhabit one of the most critical roles on Ox-Bow’s campus: Operations Manager. He describes his connection with the campus as “an instant thing.” After exploring the campus and trails, and even attending a Friday night costume party, Aaron knew he’d be back someday. In the summer of 2015, he proved himself right when he returned as a volunteer. By that fall, he was an official employee of “the heart of Ox-Bow,” more commonly known as the kitchen. Aaron acknowledges that it was the land and campus that initially drew him to Ox-Bow, but it’s the people that have kept him here. There is one person in particular to whom Aaron gives credit: John Rossi. When Aaron assumed the role of Operations Manager in 2016, he began working alongside John. As both a mentor and a friend, John has taught Aaron how to “hold the campus up.” John, who has been a part of Ox-Bow since the 1990s, works as the Facilities Manager—though Aaron proposed the more fitting title of Master of Infrastructure and Magic. I asked Aaron if he could share any particularly memorable occasions with John and he recalled the infamous flood of 2019, noting that this crisis—which could’ve closed the campus down for the summer—was averted because of John’s clever work. “He’s the brains and the master of Ox-Bow,” Aaron said. “He’s one of the reasons I keep coming back.” Like many of Ox-Bow’s staff members, Aaron doesn’t work on campus year-round. Ox-Bow is a place that, in his words, stays “in tune with the seasons.” During the winter and early spring, campus life and programming slow down. “Giving the natural landscape its credit is pretty
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important,” Aaron says, elaborating that the pause allows seasonal staff to return to the campus with a renewed vibrancy year after year. Another sense of renewal comes from the Tallmadge Woods, which Aaron fondly calls “the perfect escape from the perfect escape.” His job description includes maintaining the trails, but he has also spent a good amount of time walking the Crow’s Nest Trail for leisure. It’s clear that Aaron’s care for the natural landscape has only grown over
Ox-Bow is a place that stays ‘in tune with the seasons’. ...the pause allows seasonal staff to return to the campus with a renewed vibrancy year after year. the years. Shortly after the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) was discovered near campus, Aaron set out with a crew to inspect the trees surrounding Ox-Bow. Spotting HWA takes a meticulous eye because of its small size, but Aaron was vigilant and managed to spot the bugs on the underside of a hemlock branch. Once he found the first signs of infestation, the crew identified more throughout the area. This moment has led to fundraising efforts to combat the invasive species that preys upon the Tallmadge Woods’ dense growth of hemlock trees. Aaron notes that these efforts are a
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