March 2010 Corpsmember of the Month

Kathryn Deery

Supervisor: Eileen Jones, Restoration & Ecosystem Crew Supervisor

Crew: Restoration & Ecosystem Management AmeriCorps Program

Length of time at CCNB: 6 months

Reason corpsmember was selected: Kathryn exudes enthusiasm and positivity. She is always willing to extend herself and be available to volunteers. Her outreach for the Turtle Observer program at Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) was so compelling that she decided to add a second Saturday training to accommodate the more than 40 applicant requests and made a special visit to a middle school to give a preview of the program. Kathryn happily accepted an invitation to do special presentations for advanced ecology students at Redwood High School during which she spoke about real life applications of ecology into environmental action. Between leading school field trips on the watershed, working with high schools on field labs, going into classrooms for pre-field trip presentations and engaging with families on Saturday habitat restoration events, Kathryn has educated hundreds of students and parents and has enhanced their experience and understanding of the roles they play as members of the Mt Tam watershed. With her positive attitude, initiative and creativity she has quickly attained the status of a resourceful and inspiring educator!

Skills training received at CCNB: Volunteer Recruitment, Volunteer Coordination, Event Planning, Recycling Education, Lesson Planning, CPR, First Aid, Corps to Career (resume writing, cover letter writing, and interview skills), Group Management, Teamwork, and Naturalist Skills

Leadership roles at CCNB: Kathryn leads the Turtle Observer program, co-leads the Invasive Aquatic Survey program and is a Water Education Field Instructor at MMWD.

Favorite project: Kathryn’s favorite project to date is working with elementary schools on field trips to MMWD to engage in watershed education, removal of non-native plants, recycling education and wildlife ecology.

Favorite educational component: Kathryn has enjoyed learning botany from Andrea Williams, the Vegetation Ecologist at MMWD.

Favorite aspect of working at CCNB: The people. Everyone at CCNB is nice and supportive. She has also enjoyed getting to discover the cool nature spots in Marin.

Future plans: She hopes for more fun environmental jobs that are outdoors. She will eventually attend graduate school.

What did Corpsmember do before joining CCNB? Kathryn attended the undergraduate program in environmental science at the University of Michigan.

Why did Corpsmember join CCNB? To gain work experience, live in a new area outside of Michigan, and experience a new area of the country.

How has CCNB changed your life? This experience has provided Kathryn with skills to succeed in future jobs or ventures.

Any advice for young people wanting to join CCNB? Be a sponge! Learn from your mentors and fellow corpsmembers.

What's the most important thing you've learned from this experience? To be open to new experiences and take risks.