2009 Education and Outreach Program – 1st entry!
Posted by SCC on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009.The first few days in the Life of an EOPer – By Corpsmember Bethany Strauch
Greetings from the Southwest Conservation Corps’ Education and Outreach Program! Upon completion of our third week stationed in Durango we have learned a bunch and grown as a team. Kyle Hamm traveled with his Mazdarati from Virgina. Rebecca Shapiro packed light arriving from Portland with two large duffle bags. Lauren Cattell joined us from the great state of Ohio. Samantha Krause is back in her hood after a year in Hawaii and California. Landis Ehler moved down from Ft. Collins to check out the four corners region. Bethany Strauch enjoyed the car trip up to Durango from Tucson, Arizona. And Justin Laursen offers his knowledge and experience from being an EOPer last year to training us to become the best team ever.
Some highlights we would like to share with you:
First Day: Introductions took a new twist with games and tennis balls. We toured the Commons building (SCC occupies the lower level) and also our massive warehouse full of supplies including hatchets and chainsaws. We also learned about the Forest Service and our National Parks Service and the type of work we will be doing to keep these places accessible and user friendly.
Knots: Ryan demonstrated some mean knot tying skills including the sheet bend and blood know. The prize for our knot tying contest is smashing a guitar that refuses to die – it is currently held together with duct tape.
Vehicle Maintenance: How can we forget about standing outside on a chilly January morn to learn about snow chains and changing tires? We passed our driving tests after watching the Smith’s driving video.
Energy Audits: We spent a few days with Charles and Mike who trained us to conduct Tier 1 Energy Audits for low income households. This past week we broke up into three teams and visited homes in Durango to learn about energy conservation and to start the process to qualify these families for new, more energy efficient appliances. We have all had a great time and met some pretty neat families who were very appreciative of our services.
Beaver Education: Let’s teach kids about beavers! We went through a mock demonstration learning curriculum on beavers during which Lauren had the honor of dressing like a beaver for us. Go webbed feet and goggles!
Most Fun Day so Far…Snow Shoeing with Durango Nature Studies. We spent a whole day learning to snow shoe while educating children about snow and animal tracks.
We are defiantly growing as a team and looking forward to more Energy Audits and training. Until next time….over and out. 
