Our relationship with fire seems fundamental. In fact, it appears in origin stories, myths, and legends for as far back as recorded history. Even before history was recorded — because let’s be honest, history was still happening — there is ample evidence of fire as well. It seems that over generations of living with this, this… well, what is fire? How do you actually talk about it? You cannot hold it, store it, touch it, but it can shape your existence, your surroundings, your life. Fire sounds more like a riddle than an object; more like an emotion than a tangible thing.
A friend of mine once taught me something I'll never forget about working in conservation - he told me that our primary job is to meet people wherever they are on the "pathway to stewardship" and help them up the next step of the path.
What is the pathway to stewardship? It is encapsulated very well by the quote from Baba Dioum: “In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.”
On August 1, sixteen area high school students arrived at Fort Lewis College for a weeklong kick-off for the Environmental and Climate Institute, an extracurricular program for high school students in partnership with Fort Lewis College. The students came together with the common interest of seeing the local community and region through the lens of critical climate and environmental issues. The group took on projects throughout the region, from tackling invasive deer at Ophir fen to creating a community garden. MSI's Jewel Coleman remarked, "Many (students) had never met before, but they left as best friends. All had a passion for science and came together because they wanted to do something to help the environment.”
“If you have an interest in the Environmental Education field…this is a great way to get your foot in the door. You can test out this career and see if this is for you.” Luke Antonia
Curiosity is a driving factor for many when choosing a hobby or a career path. Internships and service projects, like AmeriCorps, allow us to “test” out roles and gain experiences that propel us to the next place in our journey. Mountain Studies Institute is honored to partner with the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) to bring AmeriCorps members to serve on our Community Science Team.
Luke Antonia spent the past year embedded in the Mountain Studies Institute Community Science Team as the Bridging Mountains Environmental Education Coordinator, which is an Environmental Education Corps position through Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE). Luke collaborated with students, teachers, the community, and other MSI teams on various projects, mostly centering around water quality. One key highlight of his time was his experience with helping launch a new monitoring initiative: the salmonfly citizen science program. Luke's term ends in late July, and we sat down with him recently to reflect on the lessons learned and advice he'd give to the next eeCorps member. Read the entire story here.
Happy Earth Day! This special holiday marks the birth of the modern environmental movement. Since 1970, Earth Day has become an annual event for Americans to honor and demonstrate support for the environment. MSI respects the beauty and uniqueness of the San Juan region with our work every day, and we are excited to share that celebration this Earth Day. This year’s theme: Invest in Our Planet. There’s more green in the economy than our money- we need to include the environment. Investing in our planet takes everyone, not just businesses and industries, to get involved. Effecting change in a large realm can feel like an overwhelming task, but it can happen in our San Juan community! It’s as simple as being conscious of what business practices you support with each purchase! We’ve compiled some practices and products to be aware of- such as deforestation caused by unsustainable palm oil harvesting- as well as some actions we can take in the Durango and Silverton communities to be conscious consumers. Read our story for Earth Day here- and don’t forget to join us in celebrating tomorrow, April 23rd at Rotary Park from 11am to 3pm!
MSI has dug in deep to restore high elevation wetlands.
The San Juan Mountains are home to very rare “iron fens,” a type of wetland that has been granted Protected Area status. These fens are very acidic (3 - 4.5 pH) from the weathering of iron pyrite, and host unique communities of Sphagnum mosses, relics of ecosystems following the last ice age. Fens require saturated perennial soils to store carbon as peat. Human activities over the past 100 years have drained and damaged these resources.
