Miss me???

Sorry it has been so long since my last post but I’ve been non-stop lately! Here are some old updates that I didn’t get to enter.

I’m going to chop this post up in order to better describe all the things that have been going on!

Camp Mendicino (Nov 1-4)

The first weekend in November the Silver Unit headed to Camp Mendicino for a weekend service project. Camp Mendicino is a boy-scout camp that is open to all inner-city and at risk kids. These kids come to the camp and spend time away from some of the potentially negative influences around their homes and escape to learn about teambuilding and positive leadership. The camp is unique because it is completely self-sustained. The owners not only create their own energy sources but fulfill all maintenance needs

AmeriCorps NCCC has a long-standing relationship with the camp, so every year we use the camp for a change of environment for our training sessions while simultaneously working on various projects that require time and energy.

Some teams gave a fresh coat of paint on the cabins, cleared brush off trails, or deep cleaned facilities. My team got to chop firewood, which was awesome!!! At first I never thought I would able to do it because the blocks were so huge (average 1.5 ft by 2.5ft). But after I got the hang of it I realized it was more about technique than brute force (though a little more force wouldn’t have hurt! I’m working on it….)

Redd Woooooodddddsss! Really beautiful

Finding out about our first project (Nov 5th)

After a long hard weekend of work, our Team Leader had some exciting news for us!
We finally get to know our first project!!!
Drum Roll…….

My team will be headed to Catalina Island for and ecological restoration project. (I wrote this a long time ago, by now this is old news)

Catalina Island is located 20 miles off the coast of California (about 6 hours away from where we are here is Sacramento). Though it is widely known as a tourist attraction, 88% the island is owned and protected by the Nature Conservancy (our project sponsor), The Catalina Island Conservancy aims to restore the island to its natural state and repair some of the damage that high volumes of tourist traffic has cause over the past century. Specifically, my team will be removing invasive species and clearing brush. We may also do some trail maintenance. I’m also excited because by the time we leave we will all be chainsaw certified so we may be able to do some sawing!

We leave for Catalina on Monday Nov 23 and get back to Sacramento on Dec 17th. While on the island we will be living at two difference places. We will be at Laura Stien Camp for the first week then at Two Harbors. Both are camp like set-ups; canvas tents, with kitchens powered by propane, and a bathroom facility. For the three weeks that we are on the island we won’t have electricity or access to laundry facilities. Food preparation will also be difficult because we won’t have a refrigerator. The main city on the Island, Avalon is about 5 miles away so we’ll have things to do on the weekends and access to a grocery store if we become desperate.

Another Service Project (Nov 6th)

We spent Friday November 6th with Weed Warriors, a non profit organization dedicated to… removing invasive plant species in the Sacramento area. (I’m starting to see a common theme here…my new favorite vocab word is ‘invasive)
We spent the whole day ripping out red suspania, a tree native to Africa which dominates the areas in which it grows by becoming so populous that they push all other plant life out. This day was extremely labor intensive. We were up to our ankles in swamp water using a variety of tools to remove the suspainia from around the pond. My team was absolutely brilliant at it. We definitely cleared more than any other team and definitely had the filthiest uniforms by the end of the day. In fact, we joked on the van ride home that we must not have been doing the same project as some of the other teams there because we were just that much dirtier. What can I say…my team is diesel!

Chainsaw Training (Nov 15 – 21)
For one week we worked with BLM, the Bureau of Land Management, on chainsaw training. After this program we will be certified as A Fallers (meaning we can bring down anything under 8 inches in diameter) We spent two days in the classroom learning about various methods of cutting trees and brush. Needless to say, I drank well more than a healthy amount of coffee this week.
The last three days we spent in the field. Yes, this means that these people actually handed me a chainsaw then sat back and watched. It was amazing. Some NCCC members join FRT anxiously anticipating chainsaw usage. At first, I thought I couldn’t care less about them, but now I can’t wait to get going.

Using a chainsaw is extremely frightening because it can cause irreparable damage to its operator and the environment. It is as dangerous as a handgun but completely unregulated, so as the machine operator you have to be super careful.

Up to date finally!!! Today is November 26! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

So we arrived on Catalina Island on Monday Nov 23. The city of Avalon is a beautiful tourist hub. It looks like a mix between mainland California and a Mediterranean village.
But we are living in a different kind of luxury… luxury style camping!!
If you follow the main road 6 miles outside the city out of the city it starts to become increasingly windy and rocky. The scene fades from tourist shops and trendy bars to mountainous desert terrain. Our camp is on a flat just before a steep 2-3 mile drop of land pit-falling into the bring blue pacific ocean. It is truly beautiful.

Meeting our sponsors was cool too. We got to visit the conservancy and learn about some of their current projects. They help to save the Catalina foxes, beechy squirrel, and the bison from overpopulation or extinction. Here’s an interesting fact: The bison on Catalina Island were brought over to make a silent film in the early 1900s. The crew ran out of money and opted to expend the cost of bringing the bison back to the mainland. At one point over 600 bison roamed the island. Today the conservancy is using contraceptive technology to overcome the problem.
For our first few days of work, my team is fixing up the Laura Stein camp, which is somewhat monotonous but a good way to settle in.

The teams drivers all got lessons on how to utilize 4 wheel drive. It was exhilarating! I drove on roads I never thought a car could fit or should venture down. It was so steep that even in the lowest gear of lower 4 wheel drive I had to ride the break. Our instructor said I was a natural… I can’t really argue…

Having no phone and Internet at the camp site is rough. I should never fall this behind on wall posts again because it becomes like a chore rather than something nice. Now I am so tired from remembering all these wonderful things!

I am having a great time and love it so far. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love you all!!!!