On the 16th of May, I started my AmeriCorps service term with the Newfound Lake Region Association. This began with a very long training process, lasting the better part of three weeks. The trainings I undertook included Wilderness First Aid, Boater Safety, and water quality monitoring. Though these were very long weeks, I was introduced to some new information and skills. I also brushed up on things I’d learned before. Having a background as a park attendant for the Dane County Land and Water Resources Division in Wisconsin, I was already knowledgeable about some of the things that were expected of me. While at the Parks Department I was trained in Trail Safety and Management, Biohazard safety training, among other trainings in useful areas.
One of the trainings I was most excited for was Wilderness First Aid. Jenna Detar, my fellow Watershed Steward for the year, and I are now both certified. Before working with the NLRA I was considering careers involving search and rescue work and going through the WFA training was very exciting. This training focused mainly on the treatment of injuries and how to handle stressful situations.
Next came the commercial boaters exam, which we also both passed, and we are now working on getting comfortable operating the NLRA’s pontoon boat, which is used for Newfound EcoTours as well as important conservation work like water quality monitoring. This has been an interesting process to go through. I have never gone through the process of getting a boating license, and to go all the way through the process was new and informative. With a commercial boating license, more opportunities are open to both Jenna and I even after our time with NLRA is done. This is one of the benefits of the LRCC AmeriCorps program that brings us to serve with NLRA. The knowledge that we have gained will continue to be useful, especially as I look to return to my home in the Great Lakes region.
Conducting water quality testing in Newfound Lake and the surrounding tributaries is what I have been looking forward to most, because I am really interested in keeping the water system clean and healthy. Having a degree in fisheries, I was fully aware of the importance of conducting water quality tests and analyzing data in order to identify changes in the watershed. The monitoring of water quality was one of the reasons why I chose this job to begin with, so being able to start collecting the data was very exciting for me to do.
I’ve also had some time to go to other places around the watershed, such as hiking in the Sculptured Rocks area. Not being originally from the area, it was interesting seeing the familiar yet different landscapes that make up this part of the country. I’ve always meant to visit this region of the U.S but have never found the time up until now. I have other places in mind to visit while I am here and can’t wait to see everything I can over the next several months.
