An AmeriCorps Farewell
As we move into summer, the school year ends and my role in local science classrooms draws to a close. It was a great year full of fun activities including water quality labs, animal tracks, owl pellet dissections, art projects, and more. The fun, however, does not end with Spring! This June brings Kids for Nature, a program for elementary-aged children that will run Mondays and Tuesdays from June 20th through August 16th with the exception of the 4th of July. Kids will engage with nature, make art, and learn the joys of nature journaling and more! June will also bring our Yew Creek Youth Campout, which will be for youth ages 12-17 and their families! Our campouts include a variety of activities and presentations that will bring campers closer to nature and which will become fond family memories. This will be my first campout with Umpqua Watersheds and I can’t wait to experience it this month! I hope you and your family will join us! If you can’t make the Yew Creek Campout, we will also be having a Campout at Twin Lakes this July 22nd through the 24th. If you want more information, wish to sign up, or are interested in being an activity leader, email me at viviana@umpquawatersheds.org.
At the end of July, my AmeriCorps term with Umpqua Watersheds will be up, and Umpqua Watersheds will soon after welcome a new AmeriCorps member to the team! I know the new team member will love the position as much as I have and the community will welcome them with open arms– including me! Though I will no longer be an official member of Umpqua Watersheds, I will still be in Roseburg and I plan to continue to volunteer with the organization whenever I have the opportunity. Since I will still be connected with UW, I will likely remain active on my UW email, so if you need a helper, feel free to reach out to me.
Reflecting on my term, I realize just how much growth UW has facilitated in me. From litter pick up, to tree planting, to invasives removals and wetland surveys, I’ve had so many wonderful experiences outdoors and with event coordination. I’ve learned a great deal and have been able to help kids with their learning journeys as well. I’ve been able to reach out to the community and practice my audio development skills through Living Downstream, the radio show that I am a host of. Along the way, I’ve made so many valuable connections and I feel closer to my community than ever before. Thank you to my friends and colleagues that have made the past year so memorable!
Left: Animal Track Molds at Fremont Middle School Right: Beaver Lodge at Applegate Wetland
