I’ve now been at the SLA for just under a month. “Commuting” from the LRCC cottage (a lengthy 3 minute walk from the main SLA building) feels so natural that I’m not totally convinced there hasn’t been a time warp. A handful of the tasks that have made these days fly by include dismantling a collapsed tent platform, figuring out how to build a new one, getting semi-lost in Chamberlain Reynolds (I know, I know- that’s embarrassing), driving the boat, discovering my love of the dump, poring over past years of water quality data, and teaching a bunch of kids that you can use the shape of a wild turkey poop to identify the bird’s sex. I can’t get into all of this now, but everything that I’ve done so far ties into one of the biggest questions and biggest motivators leading me to this position: how does a conservation-based nonprofit operate?
I have barely scratched the surface of the answer to this question, so in this post I am only going to share my thoughts on something I’ve been musing about since I arrived. The Squam Lakes conservation world is steeped in alphabet soup- the SLA (Squam Lakes Association), LRCT (Lakes Region Conservation Trust), SLCS (Squam Lakes Conservation Society), LPC (Loon Preservation Committee), and GMCG (Green Mountain Conservation Group) are just a handful of the regional conservation organizations. On my first off-day here I hiked Red Hill, and in my research beforehand, I found that LRCT owns the Red Hill land but the SLA helps to maintain the trails. This made me wonder about how these partnerships between organizations are formed and fostered. What makes these organizations different? How do they work together?
Emily, our wonderful Americorps program manager, has scheduled joint work days between us (SLA) and other organizations included in the Lakes Region Conservation Corps (LRCC). These work days give us the opportunity to learn about conservation efforts outside of the SLA and to meet the incredible people behind them. Our first stop was the SLCS- another tiring commute (we share a building with them). While one of the SLA’s primary goals is to provide public access to natural areas in the Squam watershed, the SLCS focuses on conserving land. The SLCS works with local landowners to enact conservation easements. Property owners can voluntarily establish conservation easements to protect their land from development. Once created, conservation easements are forever bound to the property and development is restricted even when the property changes hands. Through these efforts the SLCS has helped to conserve huge swathes of the Squam watershed- click here to see a map! That afternoon we accompanied Pete Helm (SLCS Stewardship Director) for a fun, sweaty, exhausting day of hauling boards from illegal deer stands out from deep within Whitten Woods on sleds- you can read a more eloquent account of this adventure in Elijah’s journal from last week. I want to give a huge thank you to the SLCS staff for answering our endless questions! I knew very little about the process behind creating conservation easements prior to that day.
We actually had to drive an hour for our next LRCC outing, but it was worth it. We visited Green Mountain Conservation Group (GMCG) all the way over in Effingham. GMCG is dedicated to the conservation of natural resources in the Ossipee Watershed, focusing on four R.E.A.L pillars: research, education, advocacy, and land conservation. They do so much amazing work, but I was especially entranced by their water quality monitoring program. Each year hundreds of volunteers commit to monitoring water quality at local rivers and streams. I am so inspired by the local community for this show of dedication and by GMCG for making it possible. Many conservation nonprofits depend on volunteers. I know that here at the SLA we have crews of volunteers that help with trailwork and water quality. Creating efficient means to leverage the enthusiasm of these all-stars is a skill beautifully executed by the GMCG in their monitoring program. In my time here I hope to improve my ability to build valuable volunteer and community programming. Our day at GMCG ended with a fantastic brush pile bonfire! Here I am pictured demonstrating important marshmallow roasting technique for when you’re trying not to burn your face but are determined to have a perfectly roasted marshmallow. You can read more about GMCG here.
A few days ago my fellow LRCC member Dani and I were hiking through Five Finger Point on a trail work day chatting about science communication. Often this refers to communication between the “science world” and the public, but another important version of science communication is communication between various scientific entities. Tunnel vision is common in any aspect of life, and I could understand how it would be easy to be absorbed into the bubble of your own organization. So far, however, it appears that the organizations in the alphabet soup here in the Lakes Region work together regularly and effectively. I know there is much more to these relationships than what I can see now, but I’m excited to listen and learn more while I’m here. Conserving the beautiful ecosystem in this region for the enjoyment of future generations takes many hands. And to many who might be reading this, thank you for your help!