Ecoservants press
A mountaintop office with a view
Chris Kluthe For the Ruidoso News 7/30/2006
As I worked my way up the corporate ladder, built a strong resume, and took those jobs that just get me by I finally got an office with a view.
I stood at 8,000 feet above sea level on the Capitan Mountain Range. Those mountains tower out of the desert into the clouds. Upon that spot I looked out. It was like looking down from a plane onto a desert that only ends at the horizon.
This was the view I looked at everyday as I worked on Capitan Crest Trail #64.
Summer had arrived and it was time for me to once again get a job. I decided to apply for Sierra Blanca Service Corps (SBSC) because it seemed different.
The job entailed cutting trail which I figured would be hard, but at least it would be out doors - which was especially appealing after having to sit at a computer and enter data for my previous occupation.
It turns out that this job was very different from anything I had done before. Camping, hiking, new friends; if it weren't for the fact that I was cutting trail I would have thought I was at summer camp. These were the aspects that made work fun, but they weren't the only aspects that made it different.
For once this was not a burger flipping job where the only perk was a check at the end of the week. Everyday was a challenge. I pushed myself physically and mentally to accomplish what needed to be done. Yet, this job didn't drain me like my previous office job had. Instead I felt energized at the end of the day wanting to do something; anything engaging.
This was a job that I was happy doing because I was providing a service that anyone could enjoy for free and my work would last for years.
Even with everything I learned at this job I will never forget my office view.
For me, that was the best part. I know I will have many more jobs in the future, but this job will stay in my memory as one of the most fun and rewarding I have held.
I invite anyone who's ready for a good hike to see my office so they can understand what it means to have a view.
Chris Kluthe is 2005 honors graduate from Ruidoso High School and is currently enrolled in the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. The New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps funded $77,022 for this project. Work is ongoing on trails in the Capitan Mountain Wilderness Area with the completion of Summit Trail and the beginning of restoration on Poncho Canyon.
AmeriCorps NCCC team brings diverse experience to area environmental project
RUIDOSO, N.M. – During the week of March 14, a team of 12 AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members will begin an eight-week project supporting EcoServants in Ruidoso.
EcoServants is a non-profit organization that began with a focus on cave stewardship, but has expanded its mission to serve broader environmental and educational needs in the community. Corps Members will assist with a variety of tasks, including trail building and restoration, park facilities improvement, cave mapping and restoration, giving public presentations on caves and bats, and assisting with Graduate New Mexico, a program that will help 300 people go back to high school or get a GED.
The Corps Members who will participate on this project are all extremely excited to arrive and get started. They hail from across the United States, and this will be their third of four projects in AmeriCorps NCCC. Members of this ‘shuffle’ team spent their prior two projects as parts of different teams, and so have had different experiences on different projects throughout the southwest region.
Jennifer Abe, Anne Wachtel, and Betty Stevens spent their first project doing ecosystem restoration with the Missouri Department of Conservation in Williamsburg, Mo. Their second project brought them to AmeriCorps NCCC’s southwest region headquarters in Denver, where they worked with youth at the Boys and Girls Club and supported Habitat for Humanity. The girls are all extremely motivated to travel to a state that none of them have ever been to before.
Jesse Abbot spent her first project serving with American Conservation Experience (ACE) in Flagstaff, Ariz., then traveled to Little Rock, Ark. to work with Habitat for Humanity.
Lauren Akbar traveled first to Oklahoma City, Okla. and worked with Habitat for Humanity on build sites all over the city. She then moved on to a project with Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center in Little Rock.
Joseph Knox, Fred Andrews, and Eleandra Lewis, who come from the same original team, began in Freeport, Texas serving with the Boys and Girls Club. Their team then traveled to Flagstaff to continue the work with ACE begun by Abbot’s team.
Corwin Mays began his term of service working with students at Garden Place Academy in Denver. He then moved on to Texas, where his team supported the City of Houston and a group of nonprofits with restoration of Olivewood Cemetery and other historically black cemeteries in the city.
Alexandra Fullman first traveled to New Orleans to work with Habitat for Humanity and its ReStore, a building materials thrift store from which revenues support the work of Habitat. Her team then went to San Juan, Texas to assist Faith Communities for Disaster Recovery with long-term recovery and rebuilding following the floods caused by 2010’s Hurricane Alex.
Abraham Hartman spent his first project round in Eagle Pass, Texas, which was also affected by Hurricane Alex, rebuilding homes and working in a youth center. His team then moved on to work with the Boys and Girls Club in Freeport, Texas, where Knox, Andrews, and Lewis had previously served.
The final member of this AmeriCorps NCCC team is the Team Leader, Gordon Henry. Henry served as a Corps Member on a series of projects from late 2009 into 2010, including Learning Landscapes in Denver, Rebuilding Together in New Orleans, St. Louis County Parks in Missouri, and Houston Parks and Recreation in Texas. Thus far in his Team Leader experience he has served in a support role at NCCC’s Denver office and is excited to get out into the field.
“I had a great experience as a Corps Member last year, but none of the projects I did has excited me as much as this project we are about to embark on in New Mexico. EcoServants has everything I wanted to do wrapped up into one project, and you can't do any better than that,” said Henry.
Although all their experiences are unique, this group of 12 shares one thing in common: they are ready to get things done for New Mexico!
KEDU Ruidoso Community Radio interview!
July 14, 2005
Stephen Carter, president of Ecoservants, was interviewed on KEDU Community Radio in Ruidoso, NM. Carter discusses how Ecoservants started, future goals, and a call for much needed Sierra Blanca Service Corps corpsmembers! (If you are interested in becoming a corpsmember, please visit the "get started" link at the top of the page). To listen to the interview in mp3 format, click here.
press opportunities
If you are a member of the press an you would like to arrange an interview or another press opportunity please contact us with the information below.
575.808.1204
scarter
ecoservants.org
