For Tennessee master naturalist Cade Campbell, the study of nature isn’t just a hobby; it is a lifestyle.

When it comes to topics of the natural world, Cade, who is just 15, is like a book filled to the cover with information.

“I always have liked nature ever since I was two years old,” he said Tuesday afternoon at Roan Mountain State Park. “According, my parents, I would see a bird outside and get very excited.”

However, Campbell’s interest in the outdoors and its many plants and critters really took blossom as he began visiting Warriors’ Path State Park in Kingsport where he learned from park naturalist Marty Silvers.

“Once I met Marty Silvers, he really took me to the next level,” said Campbell.

Campbell’s love for animals, insects, plants, and anything to do with the natural world stems from the understanding of the important role all those things play in the grand scheme of things. At a very young age, Campbell said he would get extremely interested in little things like salamanders or tadpoles like a lot of little kids would. However, his interest would grow from just seeing the critters to wanting to learn everything he could about them.

“I knew I could learn so much,” said Campbell. “There were all of these people before me who have really studied and learned a lot about the animals and their natural habitat. I just built off of that. I realized that I could read some books and learn the animals name, what it eats, and where it lives. Nowadays, I go look up its Latin name and what’s its significance in the environment.”

When asked what his favorite thing to study is, Campbell had a pretty simple answer.

“I like it all,” he said. “I go through phases. If I see a neat mushroom in the woods, I’ll go home and read about that mushroom. Then I’ll study about mushrooms for a while, that’s called mycology. Then I’ll see a bird like a night herring; I’ll then expand on out to studying birds.”

For the last seven years, Campbell has been making the trek to Roan Mountain for the Xtreme Roan Adventures, which will be held this Friday and Saturday at the state park. It was while attending the adventures and other naturalist rallies in Roan Mountain that he started to develop contacts with other naturalists which helped him grow his knowledge even more.

“The guys up here, they are specialized,” he said. “The people who are specialized have really helped me a lot. These guys taught me things that I would have never been able to learn. Some of this stuff is just unreal with how much we depend on it.”

Campbell credited Xtreme Roan Adventure organizer Ken Turner for being one of many individuals who have sparked his curiosity of the world around him.

“Ken really brought us in and welcomed us,” said Campbell.

Campbell’s love for the outdoors extends past just learning about it. He also enjoys teaching and sharing his knowledge. During this weekend’s Xtreme Roan Adventures, a naturalist rally that is geared toward young explorers, he will lead a wild animal safari.

“I am going to be doing a small animal trapping program,” said Campbell. “We are going to catch little critters like voles. We may catch a squirrel or a raccoon. We are just going to look at those, and I am going to talk about them.”

It was during his first Xtreme Roan Adventures that Campbell realized something that really excited him.

“I figured out that I was not the only person who really liked to be out here learning all of this stuff,” he said. “That is where it really started building up, and I realized that this is something I wanted to for the rest of my life.”

Campbell also likes to help with research when he can. He is currently capturing local bees so he can send them to USGS Patuxent Wildlife Researcher Sam Droege. Campbell is also working to get a species of snail called the “toothless pupa” he found in Sullivan County documented.

The young explorer lives in Bristol where he is home schooled. Campbell is going to be a sophomore this year and hopes to study wildlife biology in college as he continues his studies of the natural world.

For more information about this year’s Xtreme Roan Adventures visit www.xtremeroanadventures.org.