What comes to mind when you think of Montana? – mountains? horses?
snow? I can tell you Montana has all of that and so much more. Last month I took
a road trip from New York to Montana to begin my next adventure. For the next nine
months I will be serving through Montana State Parks AmeriCorps at Lewis and
Clark Caverns State Park. For those who have been counting, yes, this will be
my third time serving with AmeriCorps. During my first 2017 service term in Iowa I worked with Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa studying bats, last year,
my second service term brought me back to my home state of New York, where I
partnered with Student Conservation Association and NYS parks as a tour guide; now, I’ve found myself in Montana, working as a tour guide in a cavern that has bats!
I am blessed to have visited many places in the West;
however, like many people from the East coast, Montana remained a mysterious rugged
land with an enticing heritage to the wild west. Right from day one, I knew I
had made the right choice as jagged mountains seemed to literally jut up on
their own accord (below, these mountains are affectionately known as The
Crazies).
Unlike my service term in New York, the majority of the twelve
of us State Parks AmeriCorps members are individually
placed. Some parks, like mine, will get a summer AmeriCorps member, but even
then, some of our duties will differ. I spent four days meeting all the lovely people pictured below at orientation. One of the best parts about
being an AmeriCorps member is the family you instantly form. All of us were strangers a mere five days before this photo was taken. Oh, and by the way, did I mention that
Kyle (whom I worked with in New York last year) is also serving with Montana
State Parks AmeriCorps!
Wesley, Kent, Will, Josh, Gwen
Stephane, Kyle, Kate, Tamara, Victoria, Morgan, Amber
Stephane, Kyle, Kate, Tamara, Victoria, Morgan, Amber
Our orientation took place in the beautiful Lubrecht Experimental Forest, 40
minutes outside of Missoula, Montana. Besides the
usual introductions and info,
we also got trained in CPR and First Aid, took a trip to the Natural History Center
in Missoula, and got trained in how to properly use bear spray! The grizzly
bears and even the black bears out here aren’t exactly like the skittish black
bears back home. However, my favorite part of orientation was the location. The
entire forest was a winter wonderland playground. Tucked away in the silence of
the trees, just for a moment, it seemed as if the rest of the world had dropped
away.
Over the last month, I have been settling into my work at Lewis
and Clark Caverns State Park. Starting May 1st, I will work
as a tour guide, however, in the meantime, I am kept adequately busy serving as a program coordinator. I am in charge of coordinating speakers
for a summer series, as well as, organizing events we have on and off site, including Earth Day, library talks, and AmeriCorps Week. I appreciate the level of independent, multitasking work this position requires.
When I am not
coordinating with other people for events, I enjoy learning more about the park’s
natural history and exploring the 10 miles of trails. Unlike the cave, the park
itself is open year-round, but many visitors never stick around long enough to
explore anything beyond the cave and miss out on some truly astonishing
landscapes. In total, Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park covers over 3,000
acres. We have everything from shortgrass prairie, to Juniper scrub, to dry
montane forest. Part of our property even crosses the Jefferson River. This river otter was particularly playful the day we got lucky enough to see him and two
of his friends enjoying the partially frozen river (photo credit: Tom Forwood).
Upon moving here, it was quickly apparent that everything in Montana is very spread out. It is easily 40 minutes to an hour to the nearest sizable town. Thankfully, I am blessed to have a number of coworkers whom I enjoy spending time with in and outside of work. Because of the cave, we employ a slightly larger staff than other parks.
Currently, there is Rhea, my supervisor and the park manager, Tom, the
assistant park manager, Bill, the head of maintenance, Riley, second to
Bill, and myself. Around another two-dozen will join the staff as seasonal employees once
the cave opens. To the left, Tom is enjoying his favorite activity of birding. Below, Riley and I are taking advantage of a nice day to check the
signage on a trail.
It is a very exciting time to be working at the cavern. Currently, they are working on updating the lighting system and railings in the cave, making it not only safer and more enjoyable for visitors, but also better for the health of the cave itself. In a future blog I will take you behind the scenes to see the make-over the cave is getting!
In the meantime, I cannot wait to see the other eleven Parks AmeriCorps members again at the upcoming annual Montana AmeriCorps Symposium! In just two weeks, hundreds of AmeriCorps members serving in positions all across Montana will convene in the state's capitol. Stay tuned to see how Montana AmeriCorps members are collaborating to "get things done!"
Morgan, Kent, Gwen, Will, Josh, Wesley
Stephane, Kate, Tamara, Kyle, Victoria, Amber
