To all my colleagues, partners, and friends, I want to personally thank you for helping to guide and teach me over the last few years. Without your help and support, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I have accepted an offer for a new job, making April 18, 2014 my last day as the Project Coordinator at Partners for Clean Streams. Over the coming months, I will be working part-time however, to wrap up as much as possible with the current projects PCS is working on, leaving Kris and the staff with a strong foothold to finish the work at hand. I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments PCS has attained throughout my employment. We’ve helped put nearly 30 people in seasonal/long term jobs caring for the environment, made strides towards successfully launching an all-inclusive “one-stop-shop” online tool for Beneficial Use Impairments and projects going on in the Area of Concern, and conducted the biggest restoration effort to date for PCS, the Camp Miakonda project. PCS also saw record breaking numbers for volunteers, especially at Clean Your Streams Day, and that was a celebration we all could share.
I spoke at the National Conference on Ecological Restoration, presented to hundreds of Boy Scout leaders, and lectured at a Stream Restoration Workshop alongside many of my colleagues. Between these, I lost track of the number of people I’ve talked to about the environment, project impacts on local ecology and homeowners, and why people like us are doing this kind of work. I have the utmost respect for everyone in this field. Whether you’re sweating out in the field or staying late in the office to finish a proposal, you’re all making a huge difference in the world, and I thank you for that. I hope to continue staying involved with PCS on a volunteering basis, and help further their mission of clean, clear, and safe water for years to come. Once again, thank you, everyone.