Welcome New Americorps Volunteers!

The staff of SFEG would like to welcome our two new AmeriCorps volunteers for the 2006-07 program year.  We are fortunate again this year to have two individuals who are diving head first into salmon habitat restoration and community education.  Maya and Neil are a great asset to our staff, and we’d like to introduce them to you:

Howdy, everyone!  My name is Maya Carlisle and I am the new WSC AmeriCorps intern.  I’ll be serving at Skagit Fisheries for the next nine months as the education and outreach assistant.  I was born in Friday Harbor.  When I was three, my family moved to Trinidad, CO.  Trinidad is a small town right on the New Mexican border the in the foothills; to the west are the Rockies and to the east are the rolling plains.  Growing up in arid Trinidad where droughts are common has given me a deep appreciation for water.  I am currently taking a year off from Earlham College in Richmond, IN; however, at the end of my term of service here in Skagit I hope to transfer to New Mexico Tech to pursue a degree in hydrology.  I am having the time of my life here, and I look forward to meeting all of you!

Hello, my name is Neil Vargas and I am the new Habitat Restoration Assistant at Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group.  I am an individual placement with the Washington Conservation Corps and have been working with SFEG since October 2nd.  My interest in restoration work took hold when I volunteered in college as part of a stream steward program.  I received my B.S. in environmental science from the University of Notre Dame in 2005, with a minor in public service.  Throughout college, I was primarily interested in ecology, with a focus on conservation.  Following graduation, I was an Americorps volunteer on a crew with EarthCorps, an environmental restoration non-profit based in Seattle.  Throughout my year as a volunteer with EarthCorps I learned about a variety of restoration techniques in a variety of habitats, as well as exposure to international environmental issues and some of the people working in other countries on those problems.  Following that experience, I was interested in learning more about the response of wildlife in relation to restoration projects.  This concept led to my current position with SFEG.  I hope to learn more about the effects that in-stream and riparian projects have upon the salmon we work to help.  In the future, I am considering graduate school with a focus on restoration ecology.  Throughout the year, I look forward to learning more about the Skagit Watershed, as well as meeting people involved with its protection and conservation.