A very grumpy toad found amongst some old, rotting logs at the wood pile.
Bodies of water, both freshwater and saltwater, have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. The first being the story of the first time my parents brought me to the ocean as an infant (they were worried I wouldn’t like it, and instead I promptly plopped myself down in the surf and just kept smiling). Almost all of my childhood summers were spent in a cabin on Great East Lake, boating, swimming, and falling asleep to the crackling of the fireplace. But, despite all of this, the two experiences that solidified my love of water (and the conservation of it) were my summer with the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul’s School studying marine biology and being on a coxswain on two different rowing teams.
Unfortunately, there was a time where I was not as involved with water as I wish I could have been. It was a hard time, but the good news is, that hard time is what brought me to the Squam Lakes Association (SLA) as part of the Lakes Region Conservation Corps (LRCC) as part of AmeriCorps. Don’t worry about keeping all those acronyms straight, I couldn’t for the first month!
In said first month, there was a myriad of different trainings, everything from boating, to wilderness first aid, to education programs, to scuba certifications, and more. It was enough information to make anyone’s head spin, and I didn’t know how I was supposed to retain all of it. Once it was put into practice however, it was like finally understanding how all the pieces of a puzzle went together.
Ashley (left) and I (right) during one of the pool sessions for our SCUBA certification.
Now, my days consist of diving for invasive variable milfoil, manning the resource center, lake and trail hosting, and whatever other tasks are thrown at me. Things change quickly around here, so I’ve taken to thinking of each day as its own adventure. It helps me to stay more positive, motivated, and easier to go with the flow of things. Additionally, where some of my duties aren’t so glamorous (I’m looking at you, composting toilets), thinking of them as an adventure gives me a sense of pride. If I can carry lumber up a mountain, what can’t I do?
Two deer crossing from the mainland to Merrill Island. It was amazing how well they could swim!
Getting to be outside every day has been amazing for me. My worst career-related fear is to end up at a job where I spend all my time at a desk, staring at a computer screen. Just today as I was returning from water quality sampling, I saw two deer swimming from the mainland out to one of the islands! Of course, that doesn’t happen every day, but that doesn’t discount the smaller excitements of the position. I could simply be bundling wood, and will see chipmunks chasing each other around the wood pile, find a toad hiding under some of the older logs, and one time, uncover an entire ant colony living in the wood! It’s all these small happenings that remind me of the joy this position brings me.
I don’t know where I’m headed after my time with the SLA is over, and honestly, I’m okay with that. This experience has really shown me what I want from a job, and while I may not have an exact idea of that job, I know what feelings to expect from a good job. I want to do something that will make a difference, just as I am with my time here.
Before joining the LRCC at the Squam Lakes Association, Virginia spent a year in a genetics lab. They’re happy to be back in the field this season! You can learn more about Virginia here.