"Every Day is Earth Day in Boulder"

Hello again from Boulder! Can’t believe we are already almost done with the 3rd AmeriCorps NCCC project. Although I am so excited for my 4th project and to be reunited with my original teammates of Water 4, I am trying to soak in every last moment I have in Boulder.

This past weekend, we had an awesome opportunity to do some independent volunteer service. Everyone on my team helped with the Climate Smart Energy Sweep in Longmont, Colorado. We partnered up with Boulder County and went door-to-door giving away free energy efficient products. We swapped incandescent light bulbs (old-school) for compact fluorescent lights (exciting and energy saving!), gave away water saving shower heads, clothes drying racks, and a $30 gift certificate to be used for more energy efficient items at the local hardware store. It was such an incredible experience to be able to help the environment and help lower-income families save money on their electric and water bills. We met some amazing people and had a memorable experience. We were able to give away hundreds of dollars of energy saving items and it was greatly appreciated.

On Sunday, there was a big festival for Earth Day in downtown Boulder. There was live music, food, and tons of booths set up advertising local, organic, green, or otherwise environmentally conscious companies. It is so mind blowing to be living in a city that cares so much about preserving the beauty of the planet.

We headed back to work on Monday. After a couple weeks of cleaning irrigation ditches, it was back to invasive species removal. While we walked along the fields at the bottom of the foothills of Boulder removing Mediterranean Sage and Myrtle Spurge, we also came across 5 rattlesnakes, 1 bull snake, and a frog. Seeing and hearing my first rattlesnake was breathtaking. I literally was only 2 feet from a 3-foot rattlesnake that had no intention of letting me get any closer. We all were wearing Kevlar snake chaps and steel toed boots, but it was still a very intense experience to be walking through a field that was littered with poisonous snakes.

After work, a couple of us went to hang out on Pearl Street. We then went to a concert next to the University of Colorado campus. It was a venue called, ‘The Fox.” Tons of well-known artists have played there before they really got big. There were pictures of Dave Matthews, The Killers, Ziggy Marley and tons more. We went to see an up and coming ‘indie’ band called ‘The Antlers.’ It was an awesome show and we got all the way up to the front row.

As you can see, life is great here. We are spending a majority of our time helping Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks with their invasive species removal and irrigation ditch maintenance and still have enough time to explore and take advantage of all the amazing opportunities in Boulder.

~Ian

Battle of the Ceiling Fans

Water 7 had a pretty crazy weekend. Saturday was Global Youth Service Day, so all NCCC teams were required to have a "day on." Our team helped out at the Little Rock Earth Day Festival. It was supposed to be huge--over 71 booths had signed up--but unfortunately there were some pretty crazy storms and a ton of rain, so the turn out was a lot less than expected. It was still pretty cool though, we managed to have some fun. Then Sunday, we went on a team outing for service learning to the William J Clinton Presidential Library and to Heifer International. Both were informative and interesting. The Clinton Library had an AmeriCorps exhibit, which was fun to see, and Heifer had a lot of interesting displays about world hunger and what's being done and what could be done.

Back at Ferncliff, we're working on finishing up our retaining wall. The 130-foot wall was originally supposed to be three tiers, but now we're only doing one tier, due to budget and time restraints. Last week, Alex and I had a pretty epic struggle with some ceiling fans... We had to take down seven old ones, and put up seven new ones. Ceiling fans sounds like a pretty simple, innocent job, but they definitely are not. We really struggled the first two days, lifting the heavy motors, figuring out the wiring, and which screws actually needed to be unscrewed, that sort of thing. But, by the third day on the project, we finally found a system that worked, and we started feeling a lot more effective. By the end of the week, we had successfully taken down all seven fans and installed seven new ones in their place! All in all, it was a very challenging task that certainly made me feel extremely accomplished by the end. Friday afternoon we turned them all on and just stood in awe for a few seconds; it was a good moment and a good feeling.

Now I'm just trying to take in as much of Arkansas as I can before it's time to leave...it's definitely a beautiful place!

~Jo

Busy Busy!

Things here have been going wonderfully. Work has been the same since I last reported; we are still working on the houses on Gilman. I've finally finished my ISP (Independent Service Project) hours, though I intend to continue to volunteer. And my free time has been filled with fun activities! On Monday most of my teammates and I went canoeing at Lake Fausse Pointe, where we previously did an ISP. The only detriment is that it has been getting really hot and extremely humid here in Lafayette. Thankfully my team and I now have gym memberships since we gave blood. Actually, everyone donated blood except me. Apparently I lived in Europe too long to donate blood in the US, but I was able to get a membership anyway. The gym allows us to exercise in an air conditioned room and/or swim. A few of my teammates wanted to learn how to swim, so I've been regularly instructing them on basic strokes. It's nice teaching others a very useful skill; it's like sharing a hobby.

I'm looking forward to this weekend! Festival International starts today. I'm excited to hear the music. I'm not usually much of a concert goer, but I do like to listen. I will volunteer with the local AmeriCorps program on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday to help recycle. In addition on Friday afternoon a few friends that I've made here and I will go down to New Orleans to attend a DeadMau5 concert.

I apologize for this entry being so short, but I've been very busy and am extremely tired. I write this at 2:13 a.m. Eeeek! I promise my next entry will be more detailed and with pictures.

~Leia

Cuivre River and AmeriCorps ERT

Hi All,

We’ve had another busy week this week here in Missouri. Monday-Wednesday we worked at Cuivre River State Park (Pronounced like Quiver) doing Garlic Mustard removal (spraying the invasive plant), trail building, and sawyering cedars. It was a pretty neat experience and a change up in our normal activities. We stayed over night Monday and Tuesday nights with an AmeriCorps ERT team from St. Louis. The team we were working and living with were super awesome and were a lot of fun! We’re hoping to meet up with them in St. Louis next weekend.

As much fun as our little junket was, it was nice to get back home to our cozy little house. The rest of the week we worked on repairing a bridge, pulling fence, and starting to prepare some picnic tables and benches for staining. The weather has been very muggy and rainy, but we worked through it for the most part.

It’s been a good week, and I’m excited to see how the last two weeks pan out.

~Jenna

ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!!!

Hey guys!!! My blog title speaks for itself. I am having the most amazing time. Everything is just going perfect here in Denver! We have been pretty busy at the children's home! We have finished up the library renovation and cataloging the books and now we have been working on some new and exciting projects. The library is having a grand opening and we will have the opportunity to perform a very special presentation! What might that presentation be you may ask? Ah, it is a drum circle! Drum Circles are when people get together and coordinate different sounds and beats on multiple drums and musical instruments. For a brand new group of drummers, we sound P-R-E-T-T-Y good. It will be awesome! Barbara Lane, the Director of NCCC Southwest Region came by and stopped in for a visit to see what all the excitement was about. It felt really good to have staff come in and check out all of the hard work that we have put into this project. What makes this project special is that we love it so much. We have the opportunity to make a difference in this project that will span beyond the duration of our project.

On another note, I had my Team Leader interview this week! I was pretty nervous, but I did the best I could, and hopefully, it paid off! I am glad either way to have had the opportunity to interview and to just be apart of the NCCC program. I can't believe that our third project is over in a week and a half!!!! It is soo crazy! But the upside to that is, I GET TO SEE MY WATER 4 TEAM AGAIN!!! I am soo excited to reunite with everyone and hear all of the different stories from the different projects! ISP at the Denver Children's Museum is soo awesome! I have been the storyteller for the children and it is just way too cool. I like it so much because it makes me feel like a child again. I become so animated when I start reading those books! I will miss them when I leave Denver for my next project. Did I even mention my next project? FORGIVE ME!!! My fourth and final project in NCCC will be trail-building and maintenance at Big Bend National Park in Texas!!! What a way to go out! With a bang.

Sarah, Shiny, Ashley and I also had the chance to have lunch with Ian's parents this week. Now we know where Ian gets his charm! His family is pretty awesome. Hope to meet them again in the near future!

Last weekend we had the chance to participate in an event called Cool-fax Kids Connect with the Denver Children's Home! It was a successful first annual event, and we got together in teams and cleaned up almost 16 blocks of Colfax Avenue to celebrate Earth Day. Did you know that Colfax Avenue is the longest continuous street in America at 26 miles long!!! Tomorrow is Global Youth Service Day and we have an exciting morning at Red Rocks Amphitheater doing multiple tasks such as trail work, gardening, wall repair, trash removal, etc. It should be exciting!!! Rumor has it that there will be a Drum Circle in the afternoon there...do you know how much Ashley and I love drum circles?

Until then...

~Shawn

Burn Baby Burn!

Wow! I’m just sitting down at my computer for the first time this week (It’s currently 9:15 p.m. on Thursday), which if you knew me is quite the feat! Water 6 has been super busy this week burning and pulling fencing down. We’ve had late days every day this week, but it was well worth it.

Monday a few of us went to a conservation area called Painted Rock where we burned 145 acres (relatively small area in comparison to some burns we’ve had). Although the burn was relatively small, it took up most of the day because of wind change and the steep slopes we had to climb. By the end of the day we were all exhausted. When we got home I ate, showered, and fell asleep all within an hour. I can’t remember the last time I was that tired!

Wednesday we got to do a pretty cool burn down the median on Highway 54. They had MODOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) out there putting cones out for us. Also, police officers were patrolling the highway to get people to slow down while we were out there. It was pretty awesome and scary at the same time! I never got used to hearing cars zoom by so close, let alone not always being able to see them right away through the smoke that was a constant cover over the highway. I kept thinking to myself about how many people we probably scared that day, with the smoke from the burn.

Today we had the great pleasure to entertain Alann, our wonderous Unit Leader. He came through to check on us and see how our project is going. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to make it to the burn we did this morning, but he did get to see the end result. He hung out with us for the majority of the day and evening. He even ate dinner with us at our little house on the prairie. We felt very honored to have a guest of such high esteem visit and dine with us.

Overall, the project has been wonderful. When we’re not burning we’re usually pulling fence down or removing Japanese Honeysuckle. I do have to say the best part of the project is the burning. I’ve gotten some great pictures as a result! It’s also really awesome to see how the land changes just in two weeks. Here’s a picture of the nearly 400 acres we burned a few weeks ago and how it has progressed just in the past 2 weeks. It’s pretty awesome to be able to see the results of the burn so quickly. It’s amazing how nature is just able to regenerate.

I’m enjoying my time here in Missouri, but I am excited to be heading back to Denver in a few weeks to reunite with my Water 4!

~Jenna

Breaks, Birthdays, and Getting Things Done

Hello from Little Rock, AR. Water 7 is doing a great job here at Ferncliff Camp. We have been working on a lot of different projects and we haven’t missed a beat. Our three-tier rock wall is coming along and we are hoping we can finish it in time. We have been mixing a lot of concrete, which has been a very messy job. The team has walked the trails at Ferncliff Camp to address any maintenance issues. We have also been doing a lot of siding, painting, and interior work inside the volunteer house.

A few things have happened since the last time I wrote. Right before break Jo, Alex, and I went to an outreach event at the National Guard Military Base in Little Rock. We talked to cadets in the Youth Challenge program. We had fun talking to the cadets about what we do in AmeriCorps NCCC. They had a lot of good questions and really seemed interested. From what I have been told, there were a few that began the application process after we left.

Last weekend was Spring Break. The team went on their separate ways. Jo and I went to Ponca, Arkansas which is a very small town in the Ozark Mountains. We went to church on Easter Sunday. We were so deep in the middle of nowhere that we had to travel an hour to find a Catholic Church. This also seemed to be the nearest large town in the area. After church we hurried back and went on a canoe trip on the Buffalo National River. The trip took about five hours and was very adventurous to say the least. It was nice to just be able to relax and have some fun.

After we got back from break it was my birthday. On April 5 I turned 23. I feel so old. That’s not a bad thing though. (I don’t want to upset the older readers out there.) My AmeriCorps experience has helped me realize that I am ready for my adult life. I am very excited to see what the future holds for me.

Well, gotta run but just wanted to add that I am also very excited about our 4th round project, which will be in Big Bend National Park. I’m sure we will be writing more when the time comes so I won’t spill the details. From the looks of it, it is going to be an amazing project. I miss you Water 4...

~Jeremy

Library Time!

This week our main project at the Denver Children’s Home (DCH) has been to assist with putting together their new library. We’ve spent most of the week sorting through hundreds of book donations and alphabetizing them all. After we categorized all of the books and the bookshelves were installed in the renovated space, we began moving the books onto the shelves, organizing them as best we could, and cataloging them into the computer system. The undertaking of inputting the books into the system has proven to be a long process but it’s more than worth it to know that the kids at DCH are getting a library back for the first time in years.

Yesterday was the first day that the kids were allowed to check out books. It was so great to watch them browse the shelves, ask questions, and ultimately find a book that interested them. I hope that the work that we put into the new library continues to give the kids a healthy outlet of education for years to come.

~ Sarah

Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks

Hello Blog friends,

I am working in Boulder, Colorado for an organization named Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. There are no members of Water 4 on my 'shuffle round' team. Although I miss my former teammates, Boulder is a little slice of heaven.

Our living situation is incredible. We live in what has been referred to as the 'AmeriMansion.' It is an old farmhouse right along the foothills of the Boulder Flatirons. There is a huge living room and kitchen with beautiful views all around. In front of the house is an awesome hike and behind the house are miles of running trails. We have acres of prairie around us and are only a 10 minute drive (or Skip Bus Ride) from downtown on Pearl Street or the University of Colorado campus.

In our free time, my team has been on tons of hikes, taken a tour of the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory, been to some great restaurants on Pearl Street, and have many more excursions planned. The weather here is crazy. It can snow 10 inches and then be 70 degrees the following day. It is typically beautiful either way.

Our work is very unique. At first glance to the untrained eye, it might only seem as if we are weeding. After spending a lot of time doing service learning and becoming more educated on our project, we learned the purpose and the necessity of removing the invasive species from the Boulder area. We have been pulling Mediterranean Sage and Myrtle Spurge. Neither of these plants is native to Boulder and neither plant is eaten by any animal in the Boulder area. They both grow uncontrolled and kill off many other native plants. Myrtle Spurge also is highly dangerous because it releases a goo that can cause the blistering of skin or blindness. It was some pretty extreme weed pulling.

We have really hilarious and fun supervisors that have worked with AmeriCorps NCCC for a couple years. The best part of the project is where we get to do our work. We have the most beautiful office you can imagine. We have worked near Chautauqua, in Flagstaff, and many other stunning areas of Boulder. It is great to just be outside all the time and do some tough manual labor.



~Ian