A Belated Women’s History Month Post

By Karolyn Preiss, Three Rivers 3 Field Crew Member / AmeriCorps Member
It has been brought to my attention that there is under-representation of females in the field of Natural Resource Management and Environmental Studies.
I am surprised by this, of course, though I daresay I came into the field through a fairly gender-neutral-to-feminine sort of way. I was nesting! Trying to make a home for myself in a new place. Looking forward to a long-term, real relationship with babies and a dog.
I had student loans but still wanted to feel at home. I just didn’t have a budget. I needed to feel like I had forward momentum in a home full of life and love. With no budget. Or people. Or dogs. Yet.
So, I started upcycling the things that I had into things that could make the space feel more homey. Knick-knack organizational units, larger organizational units, rugs, pillows, art, clothes. All of which were made with old tshirts and pants; soup, coffee, and soda cans.
This plus an accumulation of never-ending plastic bags further sparked a desire to participate in a zero-waste lifestyle, something of an experiment postulated by the internet that suggests life where everything is reduced, reused, or recycled with no waste generated whatsoever. I did pretty well at it, too! The attempt at zero-waste also pushed me to host and participate in local garbage cleanups which brought me into the parks for more than just a leisurely stroll, photography adventure, or hour with a book. Being and serving outdoors with a purpose.
I started looking into farming, then into wildflowers or ephemeral flowers, which lead to more curiosity about trees and plants. Which lead to more reading, experimenting, and creating. It was freedom and independence. Love, life, and an occasional dog-sighting, too. Not in a home, but outside of everyone’s. A macrocosmic home.
I loved every minute of it. I fell in love with environmental practices and the environment itself. When the opportunity with the Conservation Corps came up–the opportunity to learn more about the natural world and to help it–there was no way that I could say no. It did not matter that there was hard labor involved, that I would get dirty and/or [potentially] not look like a model every single day. [Compliments welcome. :P] Long hours didn’t matter, nor did driving or working around heavy equipment and tools. The potential of risk. It was a risk that I was willing to take. The gender-makeup was a non-issue. It was worth it.
We are helping to shape the planet and to save the planet. Is there anything greater than that?
I started because I was nesting.
I found a really, really big nest. And, I want to take care of it.
She is Mother Earth, and we are Mother Earth, too.
#WeAreMotherEarth #Momming
