Introducing our NEW Environmental Education and Outreach Leader!
Hello, Umpqua Watersheds community! My name is Viviana Young and I am the new Environmental Education and Outreach Leader for Umpqua Watersheds via the United Communities AmeriCorps program. So far I have gotten to know several colleagues, all of whom have been wonderful, helpful, and welcoming. I will soon be running the “Living Downstream” podcast for KQUA 99.7, and I look forward to interviewing great scientific and eco-friendly minds!
I am a graduate of Umpqua Community College, where I got my AAOT, and of Oregon State University, where I got my Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I have lived in Roseburg, Oregon for about 18 years so I have the good fortune to already be familiar with the wonderful community here. Even so, I have met many new people recently and have heard great new perspectives! For example, I and a few other Watersheds members got to attend a presentation by Susan Anstey of Common Grounds Remediation about communication techniques and conflict management. This was an opportunity for me to learn a little about some of the people I’m now working with and hear engaged discussion about a topic that impacts our work and home lives every day. Thank you to Susan for a wonderful presentation and for being so open to questions!
I have also already had an opportunity to see the Umpqua Watersheds teamwork dynamic in person when I visited Archie Creek with several others and planted native greenery. You can read more about Archie Creek and the restoration efforts happening there in Kasey’s current article.
I have always loved the outdoors and I know many others do as well. I believe it’s important to recognize that the natural environment is a key part of our community, bringing people together and sustaining us both mentally and physically. Because of this and other less tangible benefits, such as inherent value, it is vital to protect the environment and do our part in reducing further damage and restoring what can be saved. We have a responsibility to actively protect our planet. I am glad to be working here with those goals in mind and alongside like-minded people and I hope that through our efforts, we can bring more people to engage with nature in a positive way.
