Things of Which I will Dearly miss from Summer of Service 2010 (HAYMAN!)

-The absolutely satisfying and distinctive “thunk” of a freshly cut tree careening onto the ground. Conversely, hearing “tree falling!” in the distance and waiting for the “thunk” is quite amusing. While the silence ensues, the assumption is made: tree is stubborn.

-Tristan animatedly singing along with tegan & sara’s “the con” while chaffeuring us around. Fearless leader, indeed.

-Richard, our fill-in project sponsor, who was one of the most welcoming and friendly people I’ve ever met. He had a plethora of information and stories about anything you could think of and was so supportive of everything we were doing. An all-around great person who made us all smile whenever we were around him. And he was impressed with my tractor driving skills.

-The bustling metropolis known as Deckers. It had everything we could ever wish for: ice cream, breakfast burritos, flush toilets, gaggles of hummingbirds, IBC rootbeer and a fly fishing shop.

-The landscape of our campground littered with soaked sleeping bags, tents, and socks after a torrential summer hail storm. Our spirits were never dampened!

-Our loyal, hardworking companions (chainsaws) for the summer that only sometimes refused to cooperate: Ursula, Dory, Lorraine, Eleanor, Mallory. We kept them looking pretty and sharp while they repaid us with hours of chomping through Ponderosas, Firs and Lodgepoles.

-The smorgasbord that occurred every Wednesday evening, the night before we packed up and headed back to the city. Never have any of us eaten such rich, delectable varieties of food, such as French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Fried Onions, Grilled Cheese, Pancakes, Eggs and Mashed Potatoes. Indigestion is for the weak. We are all now equipped with stomachs of steel.

-The ever-debatable movie game that kept us somewhat entertained (and raised our blood pressure) during the building of the dirt bike trail by Rampart Range rd. Truces sometimes abated growing arguments…let’s move on.

-FACECUT. SLOPE CUT. BACKCUT. TREEEEE FAAAAAALLLLLLIIIINNNNNNGGG!!!

-Achieving moments of clarity and contentment during particularly rough, sweaty days just by taking a moment to stop and soak in the views of what surrounded us.

-My small, comfortable tent that came to be my sanctuary during the summer. Many nights were spent listening to the rain, pondering life and hoping that the creature walking around outside wasn’t about to eat me. Those squirrels can be intimidating.

-Chainsawing. ‘nuff said.

-Watching the Hayman crew as a whole evolve into a cohesive family. Full of a variety of characters and sometimes dysfunctional, but always finding ways to make each other laugh.

-Tristan, Cian, Chris, Alex, Karly, Marge, Jon. Thanks for the hard work and great summer! Nilanjana and Andrew, I will miss you guys after December.

Thing not missed:

- Port-a-potty. Your odorous personality wafted into our kitchen area a few too many times. I bid thee adieu!

-Stephanie Stocking, AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation Corpsmember

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Energy, the Crew I Love the Most

I have heard about the land crew,
the water crew changing the toilets in some low income homes
but I have not learned from the energy crew,
too bad it’s the crew I love the most.

Me (right) with my friend and fellow Energy Corpsmember Carla

I head that without energy you can’t stand,
canvass the neighborhood street,
check the tools or change the light bulbs,
when I heard this I couldn’t hold my heart but shout — ENERGY!

My friends, today we are here,
we are here because we were chosen to represent MHYC for the next five months –
the day is coming when some of us will be the next MHYC staff members,
never give up in everything you do till you get your hearts desire.

As they say,
take time to work, it is the price of success,
take time to meditate, it is the price of power,
take time to pray, it is the secret to perpetual youth,
take time to read, it is the way to knowledge,
take time to be friendly, it is the road to success,
take time to love and be loved!!!

We are young,
we live to see MHYC go forward and if we don’t see it go forward,
you better believe we will be there to raise it, this is our chance and it’s our chance to shine!!!

-Miere Mbui, Energy Conservation Corpsmember

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Welcome Fall Forestry

Summer of Service is officially over so MHYC has gathered a new group of fearless young people to join forces and be a part of our Fall Forestry Crews.

This fall, MHYC is running two Fall Forestry Crews, one camping crew and one day crew. The crews will work in some of Colorado’s most beautiful areas conserving our natural resources through different projects, for example fuel mitigation and trail building.

Today, 15 seasonal Corpsmembers started orientation where they will learn the ins and outs of life at MHYC and get to know each other through lots of team building activities.

With the hot, hard summer behind us, this also means that many of our AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation Corpsmembers will be starting back up on our Energy Conservation Program. Today they spent the day being retrained on tier one energy audits and learned how to install programmable thermostats.

It’s going to be an exciting fall here at MHYC, we can’t wait to see all the amazing things these crews are going to accomplish!

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Farewell Roni, You Will Be Missed

This is the end of my second summer with Mile High Youth Corps, but the two have looked quite different. Last summer I spent my days chainsaw in hand, uniform on as an AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation Corpsmember, while this summer I have spent most my time behind the computer screen, in the office as the Outreach Alumni Mentor.

But one thing has remained the same.

I have been lucky enough to spend both summers by the side of an amazing young woman, Veronicca Solis, lovingly known around MHYC as Roni.

Last summer after graduating high school in Aurora, Roni left her plush job at a jewelry store to join an MHYC Summer of Service land conservation crew. This meant putting her princess-like lifestyle of toting jewels on hold while she traded her emeralds for a green MHYC T-shirt, the air-conditioned store for the heat of the hot, Colorado sun and work in a strip mall for physical labor in the wilderness.

Everyday she showed up, smile on face, jokes at hand, ready with that infamous Roni giggle to brighten the days of her fellow Corpsmembers.

After her freshman year at the University of Portland in Oregon, Roni came back to MHYC for more. This summer she was hired on as the Summer of Service Support Corpsmember, which means she spent her days with piles of paperwork and running from crew to crew, worksite to worksite, to make sure everyone and everything was accounted for and running smoothly.

And again, everyday she showed up eager to learn and help – that giggle again echoing through the MHYC office.

Last summer we were lugging trees and this year we were carting paperwork from crew to crew, and although the work has been quite different, I am very lucky and thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Roni and come to know what a smart and enthusiastic person she is.

MHYC is so fortunate to have had Roni serve with us and we wish her the best of luck for her sophomore year at the University of Portland and all her future endeavors. Her hard work and compassion will lead her far.

-Vanessa Notman, Outreach Alumni Mentor

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Congratulations Adrian!

Mile High Youth Corps wants to send out a big congratulations to Adrian Davalos for winning the Shining Star Award presented by the Arapahoe/Douglas Works Youth Council. The award recognizes a young person who has made great strides personally and within their community.

In July, Adrian graduated from MHYC’s YouthBuild Program in which he earned his GED, gained construction skills and completed 450 hours of community service. Adrian started an electrical apprenticeship with Greiner Electric last week and has plans to eventually attend college.

Adrian shown here with his wife Carla and daughter Breanna. Carla is a Corpsmember on MHYC's Engery Conservation Crew.

We’re lucky to have worked with such a motivated young man and we look forward to seeing where his determination will lead him in the future. Congratulations Adrian, we’re so proud of you!

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End of Summer BBQ

Today the whole MHYC gang – and we mean the WHOLE gang including MHYC CO Springs Crews, Summer of Service Crews, Water and Energy Conservation Crews, staff members, family, friends and MHYC supporters – gathered at a Denver park for the annual end of Summer BBQ.

Every year the crews compete in the MHYC Olympics, with games ranging from tug-o-war to flag creation, to see which crew can take the trophy and the honor of being The MHYC Olympic Champions.

After a heated battle, the Trailblazer Crew (Denver’s Day Sawyer Crew) stole the show and was given the honor of adding their name to the MHYC Olympics trophy.

Each Summer of Service Crew also put on a skit to showcase their amazing accomplishments including trail building, invasive specie removal, sawyer work, rock wall building and so much more.

We’re all lucky to be a part of an organization that works hard conserving our natural spaces and resources and still makes time for fun.

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Death By Corndog in Hayman

On quiet evenings, when most of the country is busy watching their favorite TV shows, the Hayman Crew often delves into a cutthroat game of “Mafia” around the campfire.

For those who haven’t played “Mafia” before, let this be a warning, for the game is not for the faint-hearted.

Two people are usually chosen to be the Mafia, and their goal is to take out the other players one by one. Meanwhile, everyone else tries to determine who the Mafia is. Sounds simple, right? Wrong.

“Mafia” involves bitter plot-twists and highly- strategized maneuvers. Players often disappear in mysterious ways—death by corn dog, lemonade overdose, killer bees, you name it. Everyone has a different strategy to divert attention away from themselves—some hide behind dark sunglasses, some stare absent-mindedly into the fire and some put up arguments suitable for the Supreme Court. Members of the Mafia sometimes sacrifice themselves or each other to win. No matter what, everyone is committed to maintaining the integrity of their character.

Throughout the summer, playing memorable games of Mafia has been only one of our major goals. We have also been very committed to promoting creative solutions.

For example, when our port-a-potty was out of commission, the crew dug a cathole, flagged trees to mark an obvious path to the cathole and of course, fashioned a toilet-seat out of plywood.

When we were bored (because we live in the woods and have no electricity for ten days), we competed for the title of “hot-sauce-eating-champion” or dared each other to eat spoonfuls of cinnamon for entertainment.

When a raging thunderstorm threatened to blow us, our tents and belongings to Thailand, we huddled around an iPod in the 12-passenger van to watch “Up” and forget the ungodly storm outside.

However, our biggest commitment this summer has been living and working in the Pike National Forest. Eight years after the Hayman fire blazed through the area, mountain ranges remain desolate, and burnt and fallen logs scatter slopes like matchsticks. We have met people throughout the summer who lost their homes within minutes’ notice, but were resilient enough to re-build their lives here.

As part of the Summer of Service, we have cut down nearly 3,000 trees to mitigate fire hazards and built three miles of trail to help restore the South Platte River watershed.

Our work hasn’t been easy. After eight hours of running a chainsaw, we often appear out of the forest with dirt smeared across our cheeks and reeking of sweat and bar oil. But, at least we are committed to smelling bad together.

-Nilanjana Saha, AmeriCorps and Leadership Conservation Corpsmember

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Blips from Richard on Energy Conservation

Crossing Ts and Dotting Is

Project abstract: New term. New crew. Energized (emphasis mine) by the novelty of the green collar trade and the intrigue of unwitting companions, the Energy Corpsmembers and their revitalized Crew Leaders commenced their latest journey–a 5-month term in the Energy Conservation program.

New Energy Corpsmembers get to know each other during orientation

Birth Pangs of Progress

From a Crew Leader perspective, the newcomers, seemingly soft-spoken and reserved, have already exhibited a laudable degree of leadership and attentiveness that has exceeded our inchoate expectations. In tact and with stable vitals, our Energy Crew successfully endured a litany of protracted trainings, toilsome canvassing routes and anxiety-laden audits–not to mention persnickety, demanding paperwork virtuosos (see Bill Cleary, Richard Price). Their growth has been nothing short of impressive. I look forward to witnessing, and hopefully, abetting the progress that has yet to unfold. Signing off.

-Richard Price, Energy Conservation Crew Leader

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Congratulations New Leadership Council Members

Mile High Youth Corps has a Leadership Council made up of Corpsmembers from all crews who have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills. The council meets once a week to discuss agency policies and procedures, plan service projects and address issues brought up by their fellow Corpsmembers.

Last Friday we gathered in “the barn” for speeches from the Energy and Water Conservation Corpsmembers who were nominated to be on the council by their fellow Corpsmembers. After amazing speeches, Corpsmembers and staff voted for one Energy and one Water Conservation Corpsmember to join the council.

It was a tough decision because everyone presented such passionate, compelling cases for why they would be great representatives for their crews, but in the end Mike Smith from the Water Conservation Crew and Chelsea Cain from the Energy Conservation Crew earned their positions on the Leadership Council.

Mike is currently serving his second term on the Water Conservation Crew and talked about the importance of leading by example. Chelsea gave a heartfelt speech about her yearning to be a part of the council and left us with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson to consider:

“What is it to succeed? To laugh often and much. To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children. To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others. To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition. To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. That is to have succeeded.”

Welcome to the council Mike and Chelsea, we’re excited to have you!

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From the City to the Mountains

“It’s funny how music puts time into perspective. Add a soundtrack to your life to perfect it. Wherever you are, feel the flow, keep walkin and we can’t get far. Wherever you are.” –Nujabes, Japanese hip-hop producer and DJ

Sitting on top of the hills watching the sunset really seems to put the world you view in another perspective. Living in the city and being a city kid all my life, I’ve seemed to take many things in life for granted. I’ve never taken the time to take a deep breath, take time to admire the sunrise… the sunset… the little things.

Being up in the mountains for two weeks makes you really take into consideration all the simple things that you look past. You have a deeper gratification for the beauty of nature all the way to the city life that you’ve left behind… your friends, family, and even personal views.

It’s a nice change to be around people that seem to have the same goals and aspirations when it comes to wanting to make a change to the world around you. Recycling has never really been a big issue when in the city but being out in nature makes you see how beautiful the “real” world is. You notice things you’ve never noticed before… for instance, not many people have seen or can even identify the state flower, me being one of those individuals until now…

-Eric Lohmeier, Summer of Service Gatekeeper Corpsmember

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