Did you hear about YES!
YES! is Youth Engaged Stewardship, a successful program held in 2012 and 2013 at Las Cienegas. The objectives are:
1) to develop leadership skills through a youth board experience;
2) engage youth in public lands and natural and cultural resource management through a student-driven field experience
3) complete a restoration project through student planning, project management, and implementation
Of course, teens want to have a bit of fun as well and get a little dirty while accomplishing these objectives.
The YES! Partners (CWP, Ironwood Learning Tree, Empire High School, and Bureau of Land Management) are now evaluating the results of the 2013 field season based on pre- and post-testing, journals and other comments, and including YES! participants in building 2014. Besides fine-turning some of the sessions, Partners are now considering how to sustain the efforts, how to continue these efforts before and after the summer work. Perhaps more volunteer events like the ones that students organized on July 20 (photo below).
Funding is the biggest issue that 2014 faces with the unknown federal budgets and competing for youth grants. Other issues which YES! has in common with other youth organizations include liability insurance and transportation. Nothing worthwhile comes easy and YES! Partners are seeking solutions.
To keep up on YES!, go to YES!
OTHER CWP EDUCATION EFFORTS:
CWP Youth Coordinator, Annamarie Schaecher, continues to work with other youth organizations in the watershed to develop common interests. With support from the BLM, she is developing an Educator's Web site for the Las Cienegas NCA and a separate web page for the watershed as a whole to share educational resources and to answer those common questions that teachers and families have like: How do I visit? Where are facilities? More to come....
