Goodbye, Cascadia

Well, it’s arrived. The end of my service term here at the Cascadia Conservation District. Come July 15 I will have served 10.5 months and over 1700 hours with the district. It’s been an interesting journey. Many things I enjoyed doing, some I didn't. There were really busy times, and slower ones. The one thing that held it all together even when I wasn't necessarily enjoying myself were the people. I enjoyed working with everyone here. It’s one of the few places I've worked or spent time at that I felt completely included. It’s refreshing to realize that not all workplaces are uptight and stuffy. I actually look forward to showing up to work, which is a first.

So with that I must admit I am a little sad to leave. The District has given me opportunities to work with a variety of conservation related activities. Time spent in the field digging holes and watering plants. Coordinating native plant sales and workshops to help county residents better manage and support their natural resources. I taught students from kindergarten up through high school about a wide variety of environmental subjects, from the shrub steppe to rivers to fish. I felt like I contributed and had an impact. For that I am thankful. I've learned a lot in the last year and I’m happy that I finally got to put some of my knowledge to good use.

I hope that after this I can continue to find places to contribute and make an impact. I don’t have anything lined up yet, but I’m not worried about that. It’ll come to me eventually. Maybe I’ll look for more permanent employment in the conservation field. Maybe I’ll go back to school. Only time will tell.

So I bid farewell. I've quite enjoyed writing these blogs. Some of them might have been a little dense, but overall I’m hoping they were all still interesting. And most important of all, I'm hopeful you learned something.