Finally having internet = many group posts [1]
This week the babies travelled back to their lovely Coronado National Memorial of the National Park Service of the United States of America of the world of the Milky Way Galaxy to stop the process known as erosion. Working in their beloved Agave restoration field, the team quarried rocks that they used in creating check dams throughout the field. Despite the numerous snow storms, the team successfully pulled desert broom from the field in order to maintain it as a grassland. The team successfully partnered with the National Park Service trail crew in locating the lost boy, Peter Pan, in the Chiricahua Mountains and celebrated that evening on the feast of St. Patrick. The crew sadly marks the passage of member professor Gina Bono, botanist Ph.D. who sailed on to greener pastures of Sitka, Alaska. We wish the “professor” much luck in her new duties.
Chief resident baby Brain Hull was helping his sweetie move to Texas while the rest of the babies, now numbering only three, headed North to the lovely and wet Montezuma’s Castle and Well. After a brief respite at the Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree National Parks, the babies took on the task of making Montezuma’s buildings fire-wise! Partnering with the Saguaro (Suh-hwar-oh), the team ensured that no government building would burn down in the future. Afterward, the babies partnered with Ted, also of the SCA variety, to tackle the Kosha Weed crisis of 2012, which they successfully achieved. Along with attending a star party, the team also vanquished Lehmann Lovegrass and Hordeum grass throughout the park.
With Brain back in tow, the crew headed to Tucson to attend S212 saw training class, which they all passed with flying colors. They then made their way back to the beautiful Chiricauhas, the land of ice and snow. Although they had a cold and grumpy start, the gang successfully completed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Megan’s ipod. Way to go Harry. This hitch the crew worked extensively in the Bonita Canyon area of the park to remove Common Mullein and Horehound. The gang also got practice in bucking and splitting firewood, putting their new chainsaw skills to use.
After a short weekend, the crew resumed invasives work in the park, expanding this time to Sugarloaf Mountain and the Natural Bridge trail. Rounding out this hitch, the gang headed to Fort Bowie National Historic Site to work on erosion control, fence repair, trail maintenance, mesquite thinning, and invasive removal. Soon they will be moving to their much anticipated new home in Bisbee, Arizona, hot tub included. Turn on the jets!
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Chiricahua National Monument [4]
This hitch took the babies to beautiful Chirichaua National Monument where they transcended boundaries and mended broken ties, while taking in breathtaking views of Cochise’ Head rock formation. The highlight of the trip occurred on a hike into Echo Canyon when the gang stumbled upon a few coatis rough housing. The gang also learned and mastered the skill of barbed wire fencing with help from the NPS Trail Crew. The new fence will be able to better protect the park from unwanted bovine grazers. The gang also reached their monthly ice cream quota by going to DQ 4 times, exploring new flavors along the way.
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The first week [19]
It has been a productive February for the Southeastern Arizona Restoration Team. The Corps Members completed training at the beautiful Cave Creek Ranch in Portal, AZ - the javelina hotspot of the sky islands. After a Wilderness First Aid refresher, the team traveled to Coronado National Memorial, where they have been learning the local flora, fire ecology, and human migratory patterns. While at Coronado, the gang has already made an impact on the Memorial’s ongoing agave restoration, including: cage fixing, Critter Out applying, and invasive species removing. They’ve also had the opportunity to see more of this landscape, hiking to several natural springs and seeps to install wildlife cameras and maintain animal drinkers. Showing their true camaraderie, the team worked hand-in-hand with a National Park Service trail crew to prevent erosion and enhance trail structures on Joe’s Canyon Trail. Most recently, they rehabilitated a fire hand line to a more natural state that existed before last year’s fires. They are now getting ready to head to Chiricahua National Monument to further restorative efforts there.
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Megan Rabinowich [25]
Megan was born at the age of 0 in a house in upstate New York where she lived until attending the University of Vermont to study wildlife biology and play ultimate Frisbee. Among the many lifetime achievements her most notable happened in the second grade when she won a spelling bee and received a beautiful poster of a white seal cub. Megan enjoys unusually sized things (very large chairs for example), ultimate Frisbee, travelling, deserts, desserts, and approaching stranger’s dogs.
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Brian Hill [29]
Originally hailing from SW Wisconsin, and a recent Utah resident, Brian will be leading the Southeast Arizona Plant Team this season. After several years in the military and a year in the desert, Brian graduated of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse in 2010, where he majored in Geography with a minor in Earth Science. He had his first SCA experience in the summer of 2008, where he was a FIREMON crew member, both in Bismarck, ND and in Havre, MT. While continuing college, Brian worked at the Trempealeau Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin. During the summer of 2010, he also studied heavy metal soil contamination in Albania. After graduating college, Brian moved to Kanab, Utah. Brian is very excited for this season, and is looking forward to the work diversity. When Brian is not in the field, you can find him caving, sleeping, trying to improve his knee flexibility, or planning a long vacation.
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Gina Bono [32]
Gina grew up on the Oregon coast before going to school at Oregon State University. There she studied botany, and worked seasonally for the forest service doing various types of plant work. After graduating in 2011 she took an internship in New Mexico, followed by another in Arizona. She is excited to continue this southwest adventure working for SCA. She enjoys herbalism, snowboarding, and hiking.
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Mason Floyd [35]
Growing up in the foothills of East Tennessee, I gained an appreciation for the outdoors at an early age. After attending the University of Tennessee for two and a half years, I put my academia career on furlough and decided to pursue real-world experience. I joined the SCA native plant corps in February of 2011 as a corpsmember at Cowpens National Battlefield in South Carolina, followed by a position at Gateway National Recreation Area in New Jersey in May, and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in September. I like Star Wars, hot sauce, and country music. The End.
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Devon Deckant [38]
Devon is a native of Youngstown, OH and graduate of The Ohio State University, where he studied sociology and environmental policy. He was a corps member of the SCA Massachusetts 2010-11 season, where he taught environmental education and completed conservation projects on public lands across the commonwealth. His interests include learning, farming, and traveling.
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