bb training volunteers to conduct rocky intertidal monitoring at Cabrillo NM, 2002 (NPS photo).
In celebration of rocky intertidal monitoring everywhere.
I didn't help out at Cabrillo NM this year, so in lieu of that is this photo.
I am the bent over creature standing buns-to-sea.
I am surrounded by amazing people.
A few words about a few of them.
1. The guy w/his rubber boots near my head has since passed away, but he was this amazing just-for-fun geology professor at some local college, but really was a retired lawyer (and geologist?!?). He volunteered for our program 10 billion hours (rocky intertidal monitoring, and MILLIONS of hours for herp monitoring) Amazing, fun, super smart, interesting person, grew up in Wyoming, and game for anything. Helped me monitor veg, too, which can be SERIOUSLY rigorous on a v. steep peninsula made of crumbling sandstone and peppered w/cacti, poisonous plants, and rattlesnakes. He was a Vietnam vet, though, so this, for him, was a cake walk.
Spent his first social security check on a mountain bike. AWESOME!
Said he was living off $ he made from widows and orphans, so this was his way to give back, post-retirement. =) Fabulous. He would quote this if I tried to reimburse him for ANYTHING. He refused it all.
2. The guy standing furthest to the left is an amazing (USGS) herpetologist w/ridiculous photography chops. This guy is ALWAYS energetic and ALWAYS upbeat. And fearless. PERFECT personality for a delightful fieldwork experience. Besides having a lightning fast brain & being funny. A gem.
3. The woman standing behind the rubber-boot-ed-lawyer was marvelous, ALWAYS could be counted on to BE there for rocky intertidal monitoring (that's amazingly important) and was SUPER SOLID, smart, interested, gracious creature who was also (bonus!) a delightful person. And, far as I can tell, ONLY volunteered for rocky intertidal monitoring. JUST us. YAY, us!! (us = the science nerd division I headed)
4. Oh, and did I mentioned that ALL of these amazing people were VOLUNTEERS? Paid ZERO dollars to help. And SO marvelous; I was ultra-spoiled.
Anyhow, am kinda swamped for the next week, so thought I'd share that photograph, and through it
SALUTE EVERYONE WHO WORKS HARD
TO UNDERSTAND AND PRESERVE OUR NATURAL RESOURCES,
whether paid or volunteer.
whether paid or volunteer.
YAY, YOU!!!!
And, thank you. =)
1,000 times.
You rock.
xoxoxoxoxxobb
So with you on amazing volunteers. They love to learn, and when I can't answer their questions, I can suggest where they might look, often they do, and then they share with the rest of us. I've learned to look for new things to include at volunteer days just to keep the interest up. Skeletal hands, poop, wrecked Studebakers, anything I can find to make their day new.
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