A chipmunk friend
Time is so weird right now. Yesterday feels like 3 days ago, and 2 months ago feels like 3 years ago. And I love it. I so badly wanted the first thing I’d do after graduating college to be something fresh, exciting, and kinda crazy. Well, I’m now 58 days into plan: “fly to the opposite end of the country to join a conservation corps, because why not” and I’m glad to say it’s been meeting those criteria. Other than to check those boxes, I came here mostly to kickstart an exciting and fulfilling career in conservation, but also to explore the world and meet new people. I’ve been loving the world here, the people I’ve met, and the work that the LRCC is doing.
Coming from the desert of Phoenix, AZ, no moment spent out by Squam is dull. I’ve had serious deficiencies in clouds, trees, and the color green. My favorite thing about being up here, though, is definitely encountering animal wildlife. Today, while bundling firewood, I was visited by a particularly adorable chipmunk who sat just a few feet from me and looked in my general direction for a good few minutes. I love that no matter what I’m doing, there’s always the potential for little interactions like this.
The black bear that encountered me
Now, I love a good oxytocin-inducing animal encounter, but my favorites are actually the adrenaline-inducing ones. So far, I’ve had the pleasure of being adrenalized by 3 of the animal species I’ve wanted to see so badly. Two happened to come within a single hour, and this hour was one of the very first I spent scuba diving in Squam. Nearly immediately after starting my first descent, just a couple of feet from MY feet was a huge snapping turtle. I wished I could’ve just floated around and watched it for an hour. That was pretty exciting to me, but in the next 2 encounters, I got to be the encount-ee. Immersed in my milfoil hunt, I’d been looking straight down for a few minutes when I happened to decide to quickly pop up to the surface. Someone on the surface was very nicely waiting for me, about 10 inches from my forehead–a big ol water snake. As soon as it was no longer directly in front of my eyeballs, I loved having such a great view as it water-slithered away. The most fascinating and heartrate-boosting animal encounter I’ve ever had happened to me just a few weeks ago. I was resting just off the side of a forest-lined road when I heard approaching footsteps that I immediately assumed were human. Then, when the big black dog emerged from the treeline about 30 feet from me, I said “wow, that’s a big dog.” A few milliseconds later, I was face to face with a black bear. We shared a nice short moment together before returning to our walks.
The childlike excitement and awe I feel in moments like these have really solidified my belief that conservation is something I want to dedicate my life to. I don’t think there’s anything that could ever replicate the exact emotions and experiences that nature can create.
Nathan came to the Squam Lakes Association as a recent graduate of Arizona State University, where he majored in Ecology and minored Parks & Protected Area Management. Learn more about Nathan here!