Colombian Mammoth skull that was discovered in Villa Grove CO 2011

Going into the intern position I’ll admit I was a little nervous. I didn’t really know what to expect. After my first day however I discovered everyone in the BLM office was really nice, which helped to calm my nerves.  So after a long first week of training and paper work, Thursday finally came. This was the day I would get to get out of the office for the first time and see the Colombian Mammoth skull that was discovered just outside Villa Grove CO. It ended up being a really good day to get out to the dig site because it was press day for the exciting discovery which meant there were news cameras and journalists also at the site. It was also the day visitors were allowed to come by bus and check out the Mammoth, which I got to help chaperone the tours.

The second week I learned a lot of new skills. I went out to the field and was able to help fix some cow troughs that were not getting water to them. It took about a day and a half of digging to search for the pipe lines and reconnect them, not to mention having to fend off a species that is way overpopulated in my opinion, the horse fly, but we finally had water! I also repaired gates and took down some fencing and that was only the first half of the week. Thursday was the first day of water assessments, which meant we walked up and down a section of Kerber Creek in Bonanza CO, until we came across a section that was suitable for assessing. I learned how to take measurements at different parts of the creek such as width and depth. I learned how to check the pH level of the water along with how to measure the conductivity of the creek. The best part was picking up samples of cobble stone and checking for stoneflies, mayflies, and caddis flies which were tricky to tell apart at first.

Fish Shocking at Kerber Creek 2011

The third week I was able to work with the RAMAH group. They were a really great group of people to work with and I really learned a lot from them. We worked on a section of Kerber Creek laying down waddles and erosion blankets, so far we have laid down about 700 feet of the blankets and waddles and we still have a couple days left with this group of hard working 9^th and 10^th graders. During the third week I kind of floated around and continued getting to work on the water assessments and we got to hike some of the most beautiful terrain I have seen. I was also able to see what fish shocking was all about. I thought it would be easy catching fish after they were zapped but they recover from the shock quickly making them tricky to scoop up with a net. So being an intern for the BLM I have discovered is hard work, adventurous, and a lot of fun, plus the skills I have learned are definitely valuable and will stick with me for a very long time.

PARTICIPANTS LOOK AT FIVE-YEAR PLAN

Posted: Friday, January 27, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 6:58 pm, Thu Jan 26, 2012.

By Bob Tenequer Beacon Staff Writer

The SCC experience provides youth and young adults the opportunity to learn job skills. More importantly it helps them connect with nature and the programs allows participants to develop their own sense of stewardship and environmental awareness in protecting the environment, according to Kamillia Hoban, 36, Sonora Desert program executive director.

The SCC has four current programs, which are located in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. They include The Four Corners program in Durango, Colo., the Sonoran Desert program in Tucson, Ariz., the Los Valles program in Salida, Colo., and the Ancestral Lands program serving the Pueblo of Acoma.

The SCC leaders came together at a Jan. 17-19 session to discuss the organization’s five-year strategic plan. The Pueblo of Acoma and the SCC Ancestral Lands program hosted the meeting.

Cornell Torivio, Ancestral Lands’ program development director, said the staff meeting focused on current issues surrounding respect and diversity and being sensitive to the ways the organization introduces itself to the communities it serves. Moreover, how they could make the organization more successful.

The Ancestral Lands program offers a tribal preservation plan that works on technical preservation projects at historic and pre-historic sites, primarily in partnership with the National Park Service.

The Youth Conservation Corps works on projects that are focused on erosion control, trail maintenance, invasive plant removal and park improvements. Additional programs include the Acoma Hiking Club for Acoma Middle School students and a traditional farming program.

Kevin Heiner, 33, from the Durango, Colo., office noted that this year’s meeting provided opportunities to look at past projects and discuss future plans.

 “It was a chance for our colleagues and peers to get together to discuss trends and issues that face the organization and the people we serve. We have a five-year strategic plan that is focused on a quality experience for our members,” said Heiner.

He also indicated that the staff had some ‘big picture’ discussions about how the organization could make their plans a reality and increased understanding about the ways they are able to support one another.

According to Heiner, “The land management agencies that we enter into agreements with provide 80 percent of our organization’s funding.” They also partner with non-profit groups.

“We provide paid service opportunities for youth and young adults,” noted Heiner. He indicated that a majority of their projects are on public and tribal lands….

Hoban noted that last week’s meetings were inclusive and made her feel like she was part of a larger team. Questions like, “Are we staying true to our mission?” and “Are we staying the course in constantly improving our programs?” were discussed she said.

Hoban expressed her reactions, “Involving everybody’s perspective and the creative thinking was a highlight for me.”

She said it was satisfying to see the growing numbers of youth they are serving and the quality of service.

Her program does a lot of desert restoration work and trail construction and maintenance. The program has been working to lessen the impact on the environment made by people crossing the border, according to Hoban.

“My passion is introducing young people to their concept of conservation in the everyday lives,” said Hoban. “Through work we are teaching them skills, but we are really helping them connect with nature and helping them to develop their own stewardship and environmental awareness to do what they can to protect the environment.”

Heather MacSlarrow, started the SCC program in Salida, Colorado. She said just like the other programs they perform conservation projects but what is different about the Salida program is that it strives to “build a culture of family.”

“No matter where they come from they are coming into a family,” explained MacSlarrow.

The graduate of Montana State University said that the program performs a lot of trail work in the back-country among the 14,000-foot mountain peaks. The program also does a lot of community work.

“My passion is to help young people become their most successful selves. I think a lot of young people grow up in this world, don’t know exactly who they are or how they can become the best person in themselves,” said MacSlarrow.

Building the new trail, still cold and increasingly forlorn

During our first week of work, one of my crewmates noticed this slogan on their hot cocoa packet, and we’ve made fun of it ever since.  Don’t get me wrong,  when you wake up to several feet of snow, and it takes you at least twenty minutes to open all of your food bags because the knots have literally frozen solid, a cup of hot cocoa totally hits the spot.  But to call the memory warm and chocolaty is a stretch.

Today was amazing though, because today our crew actually made a memory that could accurately be described as warm and chocolaty! Although, it wasn’t the hot cocoa that made it warm. It was our first day at the new worksite. We left the old worksite yesterday, due to the four feet of snow that left us a) freezing cold and b) unable to locate the trail we were supposed to be working on.

But when we woke up in Salida this morning, still shaken and exhausted from the events of yesterday, surprise surprise! Four inches of the snow followed us home. So we weren’t the happiest campers as we started work on the new trail, cold and wet once again. It seemed like relief would never come.

Yvonne and Tinkerbell, visiting a now warm and happy Lauren

That was, until a suburban goddess by the name of Yvonne descended onto our worksite, carrying not one, but four thermoses full of hot chocolate, and mugs for all nine of us.  Her act of genuine kindness, along with some licks from Tinkerbell, her fluffy companion, was what finally melted our frozen hearts and got the whole crew looking up again, just as the snow finally started to melt.

This warm chocolaty memory reminds me why I love this work and this crazy place called Colorado. The mountains are cold, but you won’t find warmer people anywhere else.

The Crew

I applied for many fall jobs in anticipation of my absence from college. I was planning on taking a year off to explore other areas of interest in my life. One of the jobs I applied for I was tipped off about by my twin sister. She had worked for an AmeriCorps program through the Southwest Conservation Corps the summer before. It sounded like a wonderful opportunity, working with my hands, outside, in a beautiful part of the country. When I found out that I got the job I was ecstatic, I could not have thought of a better way to spend the first two months of this year off then in Colorado.
The first day on the job was my birthday! I didn’t mind though, I got to meet many people from all over the country that all shared a common goal, to positively affect our community and environment.  Once the program got underway it went by in a blur of early mornings, sore muscles, body odor, and to many dehydrated veggies. I’d have to say that it was one of the more rewarding things that I’ve been a part of. Every night on the trail when we finally got to lie down and rest our eyes, I would feel an overwhelming sense of

Working throught the weather

purpose. That whole day we had toiled in the dirt digging drainages, building water bars, cutting limbs, pulling barbed wire, or anything our sponsor had asked us to do. We had worked together as a team to get through the physical and mental tribulations, and we were better for it. To me there is nothing better then looking back on a stretch of trail that you put your blood, sweat, and tears into, and seeing the noticeable difference from even that morning.
AmeriCorps has given me an opportunity to expand my horizons, make new and amazing friends, learn invaluable things about myself, and allowed me to be a part of something that to many people miss out on. The chance to personally affect our world in a truly good way.

Orion

Orion, the hunter, ascended in the early morning sky as we laced out boots in his twilight. A new moon drifted overhead. My hands sore and weathered moan in rebellion as I cinch a doubled knot; I leave the protest unheard. The sound of tents zipping closed intermittently interrupts the primordial silence of this high desert valley. We are the Desert Crew, closing the doors of our simple homes and stepping into the challenge. Today we will continue what we set out to do. We will etch a path with pick and shovel, with sweat and will, from civilization into the wilderness.

This is the home of coyote, prickly pear, piñon and bunching grass. In this land only the hardiest creatures survive. In subtle ways we adopt the characteristics of our neighbors. Every drop of water we spill goes noticed and every patch of shade is noted. In this land we must learn to adapt or the ever-beating sun will keep us from our goal; a single pink ribbon tied to a strong pine limb one and a quarter miles from the trailhead.

To walk along this desert trail would take half an hour, to bike one far less, but to build one… To build a mile of trail takes the most that I and this crew have to offer. Eight devoted people and eight days of devotion. Every foot we gain on that fluttering pink flag comes with the swing of a pick, the clang of rock, the scrape of a shovel and often far more. Consider that for every step you may take along this trail, every voyage along the course of our gift, the humanity that lies beneath your feet.

“Today, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and I announced an important step in the creation of a 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC), an organization called for in President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Report. We named members of a newly-established federal advisory committee that will provide recommendations on how to build on the important ongoing work of local, state, federal and non-profit youth conservation corps by engaging young Americans in hands-on service and job training experiences on public lands and open spaces.

The committee will play an integral role in guiding our formation of 21CSC. Once established, the 21CSC will empower young people – including low-income, under served and diverse youth and returning veterans – with valuable training and work experience, while accomplishing important conservation and restoration work for America’s great outdoors, waterways and cultural heritage sites.

To view the list of advisory members and visit the new 21CSC website, click here.

The committee – composed of representatives of the nation’s conservation, service and workforce development groups along with representatives from federal agencies – will provide us advice on a framework for the Conservation Service Corps’ organizational structure; certification criteria for Corps providers and members; strategies to overcome existing barriers to successful program implementation; partnership opportunities with outside organizations and pathways for Corps participants to pursue future conservation, community engagement and natural resource careers.

The 21st Century Conservation Service Corps will be a way for our nation’s young people to work on conservation initiatives that drive America’s economy and to find new ways to connect to their communities and build their careers. The conservation-service movement is steeped in rich history dating back to the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. I am confident that this committee of dedicated individuals with vast experience in conservation and outdoor recreation will help shape a sustainable structure to train and employ the next generation of conservationists.

Today’s announcement builds on the promise made to the American public during the America’s Great Outdoors listening sessions to take their recommendations and move them forward, as well as my initiative to establish youth employment and education as a priority for Interior by creating the Office of Youth in the Great Outdoors. Interior is the only federal agency to have a Secretarial-level office dedicated to providing Department-wide leadership, coordination, direction and oversight of youth employment and education programs.

Sincerely,

Ken Salazar
Secretary of the Interior”

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 7, 2011

Yucca Valley, Calif. — Western Governors meeting here today adopted policy resolutions aimed at tourism-related job creation and boosting the economy throughout the West. They also called for the creation of a youth conservation corps and visa reform.

The governors discussed with local business owners and elected officials in Yucca Valley the important role tourism and recreation play in small rural communities.

“One of the bright spots in the Western economy the past few years has been the tourism and recreation industries,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire (Wash.), Chair of the Western Governors’ Association.

The governors also talked with local students about ways to encourage more young people and families to spend time in the West’s great outdoor spaces – parks, forests, deserts, mountains and beaches – and how the outdoors can be used as a teaching tool for science and math projects.

The meeting concluded with the governors visiting Joshua Tree National Park to observe and talk with high school students from Cathedral City High School who collect data on select desert plants and take measurements to determine their age.

Resolutions the governors adopted today included recommendations in support of youth conservation corps and for improving visa approval procedures for foreign tourists.

“Despite a 40 percent increase in global tourism over the past decade, in 2010 the U.S. welcomed only one percent more overseas travelers than it did in 2000,” Gregoire said. “To compete for foreign tourists the U.S. must ensure its visa policies and process are streamlined, responsive, timely and efficient.”

Also adopted were resolutions supporting the use of forest biomass for energy production and the use of alternative fueled vehicles to reduce dependence of foreign oil sources. The Governors also raised concerns about an effort by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that threatens to duplicate or possibly override state financial assurance requirements for mining operations.

The resolutions are available on WGA’s Web site at www.westgov.org

You can view our new photos at:

http://sccorps.org/about/photos/

Doing an "earth smell test" to make sure everything is in order - the simple life

What could be worth two months working ten hours a day away from technology, toilets, and hot showers?  Well there’s a lot.  To start things off, just being away from civilization gives me an entirely new outlook on life.  It helps me respect the way things used to be when you couldn’t survive unless you had integrity and a healthy body.

In our modern world of technology, stress seems to follow people wherever they go.  Out in the field, the simple gifts of nature help soothe the mind and body to keep it going and working with a positive attitude.  That is definitely a good thing when you have to live and work with the same people the entire time.   My crew and crew leaders are absolutely fantastic.  They make it easy to live and work with them and have taught me so many things because of the massively diverse backgrounds we come from.  Even though I dropped out of college after 2 years, my mind is expanding just as much, if not more.

In some ways life is tougher when working for the Southwest Consevation Corps, but it is tougher in many more ways when I’m out in “the real world”.  It’s a whole new world out there, and there’s much more of the world for me to see.  Working with SCC is only going to make it easier.

The Beary Best Adventures of Peak the Bear

Peak experiencing the beginnings of CO winter

Hey there my name is Peak!  I am a cute and cuddly teddy bear that travels around on Nathan’s backpack.  I have been traveling with him for almost 6 months now. We recently joined the Southwest Conservation Corps.  It seems really cool, but im a stuffed animal so all I do is sit there why Nathan and the crew play with sharp tools.

During my adventures with the SCC I watched them tear down miles and miles of barbed wire fence while I sat there and did nothing.  I also watched the crew use a cross cut saw while hiking along the Continental Divide Trail.  It was super awesome!  I got to ride around on Nathan’s backpack for a whole week straight.  We saw some outrageous views of the Rocky Mountains and a few alpine lakes.  Nathan and the Crew last worked at the Great Sand Dunes National Park.  They got to play with sand and snow!  That’s right I said Snow!  While the crew was out working Nathan left me at camp and about a foot of snow fell from the sky and covered everything in a winter wonderland.  When they got back I was actually frozen to the top of the bear box (ironically enough) and Nathan had to peel me of and set me by the nice and toasty fire to warm up.

The Crew

A little about our crew:  The members of the crew are super cool.  Ben-David was demonstraiting how to swing an axe properly and ripped a ginormous hole in his pants.  I would have laughed like a monkey that just watched his friend fall but im a stuffed animal with a mouth made of string.  The first day of work we only had a half day so Emma decided to leave her rain gear at camp and mother nature decided to spit about 7 inches of rain at us and soaked everything left outside.  I was soaking wet as well as Emma.  I felt so bad for her.  Rosa…oh Rosa I know right away when Rosa wakes up because she starts giggling right when her eyes open.  It will be like 4:45 AM and Rosa will still be giggling.  Dylan is usually the cause of all the giggling because he loves to make people laugh.  He always quotes movies that no one really knows.  He is pretty funny though.  Unfortunately he had to leave us because his knee started hurting him.  It’s unbearable how much we missed him.  Then last is Mari. She is my second favorite in the crew.  She knitted me a scarf to help keep me warm outside.  It was so thoughtful of her to spend all that time on little ole me.  I guess she felt bad for me after Nathan left me in the snow all day.  But its not his fault he didn’t know it was going to snow.

Well that’s all I have to say this time around. Untill next time adios amigo and fairwell.

For a live preview of how the crew spends their time warming up for the days work take a look at the following videos: