Hangin' with a puma.

I share my work space with a number of unique co-workers. There are some owls, a marmot, a black bear, and my friend Chuck the mountain lion.

Chuck the mountain lion.

Of course my favorite are the folks that come to visit us at the Foothills Learning Center. We get people of all types here. Last week we hosted a group of 3rd and 4th graders from White Pine elementary. We got to spend time helping them understand erosion and soil. We had several volunteers from the Sagebrush Steppe chapter of the Idaho Master Naturalists on hand to help out. Time flew by and before we knew it we were out on a hike showing them erosion in action. This was one of the best times I've had yet since starting as an AmeriCorps member. Helping people learn about their world and how the environment affect them is one of the main reasons I am working in environmental education.

Learning how wind and glaciers shape the landscape with Ron.

Bronwyn demonstrating how grass slows runoff and makes the water cleaner.

Investigating the different types of soil textures with Sue as their guide.

Sheralynn (AmeriCorps) helping kids understand how weathering breaks down rocks.

2015 Serve Idaho Conference

This last week featured the 2015 Serve Idaho conference. This was my first time attending a conference such as this. It was a great time to meet some of the other AmeriCorps members in Idaho (OK, a LOT of other AmeriCorps folks.) We also got to see a lot of presentation about being and managing volunteers. Some of the keynote speakers were inspiring such as Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray, two friends who traveled the 500-mile Camino de Santiago using a wheelchair and a lot of determination. They gave credit to those they met along the way who volunteered to lend a hand, stressing the impact that volunteerism can have.

Justin and Patrick on day 28. Photo from KTVB.com

 
The highlight of the conference was experiencing an organization called One Stone. This is a youth-run operation which encourages students to become thoughtful and active members of the community through service, The youths that I met with at the conference were phenomenal examples of bright, conscientious young adults learning to live life with a purpose.

As part of the conference, I have had some ideas that could benefit the Foothills Learning Center and I can't wait to discuss them with my co-workers and see what we can do to help the organization better serve the community.