“Across the globe, freshwater lakes serve as vital ecosystems and cultural hubs, each with its unique history and significance.”
“As a bug enthusiast at heart, I was thrilled to “dive” into stream sampling for macros.”
“A recurring characteristic that quickly became one of my favorites that I enjoyed during my service term: establishing deeper bonds to the human community while working with the more-than-human community.”
Pictured on your screen is Julia and I’s first ever, independently run, Watershed Warrior event! We are so ready to teach children about how lakes are made, the water cycle, the dangers of pollution, the food web, and how to identify invasive species. Once those kids have gone through those stations, they will be thereby dubbed Watershed Warriors, with a snazzy certificate to show off.
After eight months with Green Mountain Conservation Group (GMCG) in Effingham, New Hampshire, I’ve gotten used to the highs and lows of New England weather. When the first snow fell in mid-November, I marveled at the winter wonderland and experienced some winter firsts including: skiing, snowshoeing, and – my favorite – shoveling. Effingham clung to winter longer than some nearby towns, and when the last snow fell on the muddy, barren ground in late April, I was desperate for spring.
Two penguins are in the middle of a desert.
They’re sitting in a canoe, just paddling away, as hard as they can, and not going anywhere.
Sand is flying, and they just keep on paddling.
Eventually, one penguin looks to the other and says “where’s the paddle?”
The other replies, “sure does.”
Uh… what?
It’s a riddle, and if you don’t get it, I’m not sure I can help you. I’ve been living in a cabin with nothing but joke books and my three coworkers; we’re all a little “off.”
I was born and raised in Texas and have never experienced a place quite like New Hampshire. Most of my camping and hiking experience is limited to the desert landscapes of the Southwest. Thus, the thought of packing up and moving to New England was intimidating to say the least. However, I knew my fear of leaving Texas was a sign that this would be an opportunity for me to grow by exploring another region. Thankfully, I haven’t been disappointed!
Where to even begin?
Joining the Squam Lakes Association has been one of the biggest turns in my life, but I can’t help but feel like it’s going to be, quite possibly, the best decision I’ll ever make. Even in the short time I’ve been here, I’ve already had so many “firsts”. So, in an attempt to put my own chaotic brain in order, and to paint a picture to you about what the past month has been like, I’ll share a few of these!
Wow. What a crazy couple of weeks it’s been. Since getting here on the 22nd, it has been day after day full of trainings and orientations—Wilderness First Aid, CPR, SCUBA (Brrr!), NH Safe Boaters, the list goes on. It already feels like I’ve spent a lifetime here, after taking in the whirlwind of faces, places, knowledge, and just things, that have made up these past couple of weeks. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world. After graduating in May, like most of my peers, all I really wanted was to find a position, any position, to get my foot in the door in the ‘real world’. I wasn’t picky, willing to go anywhere and do pretty much anything, so long as they’d take me. When I was offered the opportunity to serve through the Lakes Region Conservation Corps here at the Squam Lakes Association, I was ecstatic to have been accepted somewhere. But, little did I know exactly what opportunities this position would entail. The certifications and experience that it offered are admittedly what drew me in, but there’s so much to love here at Squam that I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around it all.
It’s a sunny day, bouncing around in the high 50s low 60s, the usual for the past few weeks, making it hard to believe that it’s already June and we’re approaching the summer solstice. Two weeks have passed since the new LRCC members have joined, myself included. Although it’s only been two weeks, the time has seemed to fly by yet still somehow seems like we’ve been here much longer. Coming into it, I was a little nervous about what to expect and how I was going to adjust. Fortunately adjusting to the new routine has taken no time at all, as the weeks have been jam-packed full of training sessions and earning certifications in preparation for the upcoming season.
The weather had started looking up. Waking up this Sunday morning knowing Adel, John and I were scheduled for trail work, usually meant layering up and getting ready to go hike in conditions that I’m not the biggest fan of. But now that it’s late May and the weather is moving in a direction I have been looking forward to since I moved here, I was stoked to get out on the trail and enjoy the warm weather and sunshine today.
