We get by with a little help from our friends

By Ella Richie DeMaria, MDLT Social Media & Outreach Coordinator

Working with MDLT was “really cool. It has been one of my favorite AmeriCorps projects I’ve ever done,” said Cam Arpino-Brown, a two-time AmeriCorps member and Gold 2 team leader. “It’s been super hands-on and being outside has proven to be helpful to myself and other people on the team. It’s been really, really great doing work here and seeing the results of our work here after we do it, too.”

In the winter, Team Red 5 assisted with establishing vertical mulching at Palisades Ranch; restoring burned areas at MDLT’s Long Canyon Peak property in Yucca Valley; building growing benches for MDLT’s plant nursery; and assisting with vertical mulching, barbed wire removal, and trash clean-up with the Kern River Audubon Preserve at Desert Springs. Their service was diverted to attend to disaster relief aid in Santa Cruz following historic storms.

In the spring, Gold 2 came to continue these projects, as well as to assist in removing invasive weeds on MDLT properties; and to serve as helpers and assisted in event logistics at the Mojave Desert Discovery Garden for Morongo Basin Conservation Association’s Desert-Wise Landscape Tour and in Earth Day events such as a stargazing field trip at Amboy Crater.

“The AmeriCorps NCCC teams have invigorated and revitalized the work that MDLT does,” said Mackenzie Nelson, MDLT Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator. “Not only did they help to restore critical desert habitat, but they also brought fresh perspectives to the realm of MDLT’s work. Working alongside these teams has even helped me better understand why MDLT does what we do and think about how I can connect with our community more effectively. Thank you, Teams Red 5 and Gold 2, for your commitment to conservation, volunteerism, and teamwork!”

Many of the AmeriCorps members were visiting the desert for the first time and were literally out of their element, in the best sense of the phrase. “I honestly don’t think I ever experienced something like this before,” said Andrew Smith, who had never stepped foot in a desert before. “The thing that I strive to do with this program is to push myself to have new experiences, experiences that I initially may not enjoy at first, but something that I can grow from.”

As the AmeriCorps teams helped plants grow, they grew possibilities for their futures, too. Ben Aliperti, of Gold Team 2, said the experience has inspired him to “take that leap” into a possible conservation career. “Seeing the other jobs that are out there that are more in tune with nature, more connected to it, has definitely been an eye-opener,” he said. “Restoring these paths to the desert and hearing that we’re reducing unnecessary offroad vehicle actions was cool to hear.”

“I am grateful for this program. It really shakes things up; you can explore different sides of the country, and of yourself, and see what opportunities are out there,” said Gold Team 2 member Caroline Scott. She said working with MDLT helped strengthen the bonds between herself and her fellow NCCC team members. “We’re all very different in the way we approach everything, and having so many different mindsets working together on everything has been really fun. This takes you out of your boundaries and puts you in situations where you have to adjust and problem solve together.”

“Growing up, I never had that many friends, so to be able to do this, you make not only lifelong friends, but also family,” said Gold team 2 member Karissa Guse. Even though each team was only here for a few weeks, the impact of their work — and the memories they made along the way — will last for years to come.

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