Seasonal positions are often the route through which young conservation professionals like myself begin to build their resumes with work experience and skills that set them up for success in careers down the line. For me, they have been steppingstones – ideal for a nomadic lifestyle in which we are not ready to put down roots and call any one place home. Eventually you must wonder if those steppingstones are leading you any where in particular. Its easy to feel aimless when you are young and restless, you jump from one position to another excited by the promise of new and thrilling experiences with little idea of where they are leading you.
Ultimately, that is what brought me here to the Squam Lakes Association as a Lakes Region Conservation Member. This position has offered a great diversity in experience from diving for invasive Variable Milfoil to maintaining miles of pristine New Hampshire trails to educating the public about the environment and all it has to offer. When I arrived here back in November, I knew all of this. I knew it would be taxing and that it would require me to learn a lot and be flexible.
Like any other job or service position, I’ve had my ups and downs here. Long days followed by short weekends has made for a less than ideal work-life balance. Being an LRCC member requires you to adapt on a moments notice and accept that even the most well planned days will likely end up playing out differently than anyone expected. From unpredictable weather to temperamental equipment, there’s always plenty of room for error—especially human error. Nothing is more frustrating than making it out to Moon and Bowman for some dock repairs just to realize you forgot to pack the correct ratchet size or brought the drill and driver with no battery! Even when all goes according to plan, days can be strenuous and long with only the promise of getting to do it all again tomorrow.
That’s not to say these past nine or so months haven’t been worth it – they have been! I have immersed myself in the culture and geography of New England, developed a wide array of unique and essential skills, learned a great deal about what I value in a workplace and work-life balance, and have fostered a deep connection to this watershed. This position forces you to adapt, think critically, and practice patience above all else. What you put in is ultimately what you get out of this place. There are surely plenty of days that end in frustration and exhaustion, but there are also those days when you find yourself lucky enough to have all of Squam to yourself as the sun is setting behind the range and a Loon calls for its mate in the distance—I’ve learned to be still in these moments and breathe deeply to fully appreciate the sacred nature of this place.
As I enter my final month here at the SLA and take stock of all I have done and learned, I feel I should express my gratitude for the people I have had the pleasure of serving and living with—or more accurately the people who have put up with my nonsense since November. Finding ourselves in uncharted territories and in the midst of a global pandemic, us six full-time LRCC members have gone through a great deal with each other. It’s a bond I believe will last beyond the confines of this ten-month period. Binge watching survivor and creating extravagant meals for each other kept us from completely losing our minds in winter when it got dark at 3:30 PM! We learned to dive together, we served 12-hour days together, we ventured out on to frozen lakes in near below zero conditions, and we kept each other afloat in, personally, one of the weirdest years of my life. I am extremely grateful to all of you and cannot wait to reminisce on this type-two fun we have had together! #skateordie
While I am leaving the SLA soon, I know the things I have done and learned will stick with me long after I have gone. Eventually, all rolling stones will have to come to a stop and begin to gather moss. I’m not quite ready to stop rolling just yet, but it would be a lie to say I haven’t gathered some moss from this place.
Mikey will be leaving the LRCC program in August after completing a full term that began in November. We’re sad to be saying goodbye so soon, but excited for his next adventure at Duke University! Learn more about Mikey here!