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One of my first CPWN events at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge
Credit: Meghan Kearney/USFWS |
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Salmon in the Classroom at Boise-Elliot Humboldt in Portland.
Credit: Meghan Kearney/CPWN |
It has been two and a half years since I sat down to my
first staff meeting with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. As I worked my way from a student contractor, to a Pathways student
intern; from Fishery Resources to Connecting People with Nature, I've found
myself completely transformed from a person who was apathetic to science and
the natural world around me – to someone who actively thinks about these things
every single day. As of today – I have accepted the opportunity to continue my
career with USFWS in the position of Communication Specialist with the
NorthPacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NPLCC). The NPLCC, a sector of
the
National LCC Network, is a new segment of the USFWS, focused on landscape
level conservation in the face of a changing climate.
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Students love seeing fish dissection! :)
Credit: Meghan Kearney/USFWS |
For those of you who have been following my journey through
Faces of Nature: thank you from myself and the entire Connecting People with
Nature Team. We have together witnessed some amazing things. We started by
dissecting flowers at the Wallowa County Watershed Festival. We've witnessed
hundreds of smiling faces captivated by salmon eggs, collecting data on
freshwater mussels or witnessing salmon spawning at fish hatcheries all around
the region. We've helped connect inner-city classrooms to the outdoor world
they don't often see. We've helped preserve and pass on cultural traditions to
tribal youth. We've witnessed the opening of the accessible fishing platform at
Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery, and a year later welcomed our
friends from United Cerebral Palsy back for the most successful day of fishing
I have ever been a part of. You even witnessed me giving my best effort at
speaking Spanish during ¡Celebración de Las Aves! at Tualatin National Wildlife
Refuge. Though my Spanish was likely poor, I hope my efforts to connect every
person I met to nature, were not.
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Fishing with United Cerebral Palsy!
Credit: USFWS |
Each day, and each small effort put forth by my USFWS
colleagues and partners are tiny notions of giving that when added together,
equal our mission:
conserving, protecting
and enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing
benefit of the American people.
This
is something I've been honored to be a part of the past two and a half years,
and look forward to continuing into my future. I hope you will also continue to
follow the stories of the Connecting People With Nature Team, who will continue to update 'Faces of Nature' with endless great stories! I also invite you to follow my personal
coverage with the NPLCC via
Facebook,
Twitter, and what will one day hopefully
be my new blog. Here's to a happy, natural and wild 2014 – and to all who are and have been
reading –
never stop connecting with
nature!
