BreShaun Spikes and the Forest Preserve Leadership Corps study macro-invertebrates in Plum Creek.
BreShaun Spikes and the Forest Preserve Leadership Corps study macro-invertebrates in Plum Creek.

Posts Tagged ‘internship’

BreShaun Spikes: Leadership in Training

Posted: March 11th, 2015
Breshaun Spikes and the Forest Preserve Leadership Corps tour Sagawau Canyon.

Breshaun Spikes and the Forest Preserve Leadership Corps tour Sagawau Canyon.

Two years ago, I would have never seen myself where I am today. Totally unaware, and pretty much apathetic to the entire aspect of conservation and the environment, I couldn’t imagine the opportunities and knowledge that I have gained. Through volunteering, I was introduced to the Student Conservation Association and Friends of the Forest Preserves, and I have developed a passion for conserving the environment and advocating for its widespread influence on the world we live in.

My experiences with Friends and the SCA have encouraged and motivated me to spread the word to my peers. In the summer of 2013 I had the opportunity to travel to our nation’s capital, and converse with our leaders and representatives about civil and environmental issues. It was my first time traveling to Washington, D.C., and my first time on a plane. While in high school still, I spoke at Triton College about the environmental architectural powerhouse, Jens Jensen, and how Chicago and other metropolitan areas can work toward becoming more environmentally innovative and aesthetically pleasing.

BreShaun Spikes leads a presentation at Chicago Portage Days.

BreShaun Spikes leads a presentation at Chicago Portage Days.

Joining the Forest Preserve Leadership Corps with Friends of the Forest Preserves only furthered my knowledge and passion for the environment and conserving it. Since joining the family in August of 2014, I’ve took on numerous classes and continue to expand my rapidly growing plethora of skills and certifications. I feel extremely accomplished, looking over all of the abilities I have, thanks to Friends and the FPLC. From my Feller II Chainsaw Certification, to my Prescribed Burn Certification, it’s really an amazing growth from bow saws and loppers during the summer programs. It warms my heart to be able to tell someone what type of tree or shrub something is, when I think back to only being able to identify buckthorn and hawthorne.

I really am extremely grateful for everything that has been presented to me these few years that I’ve been a part of the team! I cannot wait to continue to grow in the environmental field, and better myself and the people around me. Friends, FPLC, and the SCA has positively changed my life in a way that words cannot fully explain, and I feel indebted to do the same for my peers, and anyone else with an ear to listen. I plan on attending college in the fall, and even starting my very own non-profit organization eventually!

Herbicide: A necessary last resort

Posted: December 9th, 2014
Our Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps applies small amounts of herbicide by hand to the invasive phragmites at Wentworth prairie.

Our Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps applies small amounts of herbicide by hand to the invasive phragmites at Wentworth prairie.

As the assistant crew leader of the Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps, I can tell you that we use herbicide as a last resort. Unfortunately, some invasive species cannot be removed mechanically so we have to chemically control those invasive species. Whenever we use herbicide, we follow safety procedures so that no harm comes to ourselves or to other native plants. We always protect ourselves first by wearing the proper PPE (personal, protective equipment) when mixing and applying herbicides.

Applying herbicide is not bad at all if you read the label and mix it properly. For example, there is a special herbicide that we use only around water called Aqua neat. This chemical is water-friendly so it won’t affect the water or insects. There are different chemicals for different invasive species. We apply herbicide, for instance, when we cut buckthorn, because without the herbicide, the buckthorn will grow right back the following year. Certain sites are high quality areas where we don’t use herbicide at all. Overall, we only apply herbicide in limited quantities directly to the invasive plants, and only when necessary. Without herbicide, many of our efforts to remove invasive species and restore the natural habitats would be wasted.

Tyrone Murdo collects native seeds at Dolton Prairie for planting later in the year.

Tyrone Murdo collects native seeds at Dolton Prairie for planting later in the year.

By: Tyrone Murdo

Tyrone Murdo is the assistant crew leader of the Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps. He has been working with Friends for four years and is a master chainsawyer. He loves coming to work everyday knowing that he is making a direct difference in the world, and spending time with his crew members.

Deshawn Johnson: Three internships, one organization

Posted: November 25th, 2014

I can honestly say that being a part of Friends of the Forest Preserves has prepared me for the “real world”. I have learned so many wonderful skills and gained a ton of knowledge. I have been fortunate enough to participate in a total of three Friends programs: the Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps, Forest Preserve Leadership Corps, and the Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps. From meeting new people, to gaining all the experience and certifications, down to the laughter I get on lunch breaks with my crew, I’ve loved every minute.

Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps
I started working for Friends of the Forest Preserves when I was just 14 years old. I was just entering high school. I met Alice and Benjamin from another organization I participated in. The organization was “Fishin’ Buddies”. John Kidd introduced us and I’ve been with Friends ever since. I had little to no knowledge of the forest preserves. I had no clue that there were so many different species of trees and plants. I started on the summer internship program and met some wonderful teens, all from different areas. I even met some who lived fairly close to me, whom I would’ve never thought to speak to, if it wasn’t for Friends. We did a lot of work in the forest preserves using hand tools. This was the crew in which I first learned about invasive species.

Forest Preserve Leadership Corps
From the summer internship program, I moved up the ladder to the Forest Preserve Leadership Corps (FPLC). The FPLC is geared towards 18-20 years. It’s the step in between being a summer crew member (14-graduation from high school) and a crew leader (21+). I met my wonderful crew leader, Daiva Gylys. Daiva helped me gain a ton of certifications as well as intuitive knowledge she’d spread along the way. I had a lot of fun on this crew. We went out to high schools to teach about the forest preserves and inform students about our internship opportunities. We worked in the field of course. We even took mini field trips to the dunes and to the Nature Conservatory to do work for them both. Once, we even went to Oregon, Illinois to do work for a camping ground.

Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps
Finally, I landed my gig on the Calumet crew. This was a major transition for me. We used to spend some work days with the Calumet crew when we first got our chainsaw certification. I looked up to those guys. I loved working with them because they were what we called “Platinum Chaps”. They were the masters of power tools. Being on this crew, gave me all the knowledge about power tools I could ever ask for. I am now a Platinum Chap member as well. I learned to be even more responsible, accountable for my mistakes, and to work really hard while having fun. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew supervisor, Brenda Elmore, and assistant supervisor, Tyrone Murdo. They are the most loving and well-rounded people I know. I love the unlimited laughs we all share and the tremendous amount of work we get done.

Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps crew leader Brenda Elmore and crew member Deshawn Johnson spread native seeds at Wentworth Prarie.

Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps crew leader Brenda Elmore and crew member Deshawn Johnson spread native seeds at Wentworth Prarie.

By: Deshawn Johnson

Deshawn is 21 years old and studying Computer Engineering at DeVry University. After he graduates, he plans to get a solid background in the construction field and then combine his engineering degree with development. He hopes to work in green infrastructure all over the world one day.

Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Crew Member Spotlight- Kacper Mierzejewski

Posted: August 5th, 2014

Kacper Mierzejewski Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Crabtree Crew member spotlightName: Kacper Mierzejewski
Age: 18
Crew: Crabtree
School: College of DuPage

Kacper, an Addison Trail High School graduate,  is relatively new to Friends of the Forest Preserves, but he is quite familiar with the conservation field. For the past year and a half, Kacper has been an active volunteer at Busse Woods. Kacper was first introduced to the conservation field when he went on a volunteer high school field trip to Busse Woods during his junior year of high school. During that field trip, Kacper was introduced to Matt Haas, the steward of Busse Woods and a Friends’ board member. After that trip, Kacper remained in touch with Matt and continued to volunteer at the site. Matt was impressed with Kacper’s work and suggested that Kacper should apply for the summer internship with Friends.

Kacper has excelled in his work since day 1 at the training, and according to his crew leaders, Kiley and Julia, Kacper has continued to be a stellar crew member all summer long. His previous experienced has helped him and his crew carry out high quality work and projects. Kacper is extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a crew member this summer. Kacper believes that youth programs like this one are very beneficial to not only the participants, but to their community and environment as well.  Through this program, he has gained more knowledge in respect to conservation and other environmental education topics, and he has also gained experience in the field through hands-on work. Kacper said he will surely share his knowledge with people in his community. Kacper thinks that it is very important to help build the next generation of people with a more “green” mentality, and this program has certainly done that for him and his crew. He said that this program helps “educate, inspire, and preserve the environment.” When asked if he would recommend this program to other students, his immediate answer was yes. His reasoning is that “you get to meet great people, visit great places, and it’s just a blast working here.”

His advice to future CCLC members:
1. If the nature center doesn’t have mosquito nets, get them!
2. Don’t get over confident and not use your helmet.
3. Try to keep a positive attitude at all times. “Some days will be more fun than others, but having a positive attitude goes a long way.”

So what’s next for Kacper?
Kacper plans to spend the following two weeks biking, working out at the gym, playing Frisbee, hanging out with some friends and also catching up on some shows. After these two weeks, Kacper will start his first year of college at College of DuPage. He plans to get involved by volunteering at forest preserves near his college and he will also continue to volunteer at Crabtree and Busse Woods. Kacper will pursue an associate’s degree in science, and then he will pursue a career in the medical field and minor in an environmental related field at either Loyola University or Benedictine University.

Eduardo Paz Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Apprentice Crew LeaderBy: Eduardo Paz, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Apprentice Crew Leader

Eduardo Paz is currently an undergrad student at the University of Illinois at Chicago majoring in computer engineering. Eduardo first got involved with conservation work during his freshman year of high school at Infinity Math, Science and Technology High School. He volunteered at Camp Sagawau with the Associated Colleges of Illinois at a volunteer week hosted by the Student Conservation Association (SCA). After that, he kept in contact with Sam Vergara, who was the program coordinator for the SCA at the time. He then became a crew member for the SCA’s year round program up until his senior year of high school. For the past two summers, he has been an apprentice crew leader teaching environmental education lessons to the high school crew members in the Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Program. He plans to continue to enhance his knowledge in the conservation field and continue to carry out restoration work by becoming a new addition to the Friend’s Forest Preserve Leadership Corps internship.

Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Crew Member Spotlight- Jose Dondiego

Posted: July 29th, 2014

Jose Dondiego, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Eggers Grove crew memberName: Jose Dondiego
Age: 18
School: Graduated from Whiney Young High School in 2014
Crew: Eggers Grove (Known as the Devil Eggers)

1. What is something you are passionate about? Medicine is something I’m very passionate about besides conservation work because, in any other way they both can combine together. Conservation is my second passion because being outdoors is just a stress reliever and it helps me focus on other things in life.

2. Is this your first conservation job? My first job in conservation was the year round program for the Student Conservation Association. Many things excite me when it comes to being outdoor like getting rid of invasive species, learning more about native plants and meeting new people.

3. Why do you think conservation is important? Conservation is very important to me because we need to preserve the very natural habitat we have, not only just in the U.S but in the entire world. Being involved in the conservation work gives me a great feeling, knowing that I’m doing a great thing to conserve natural habitats and ecosystems.

4. If you got the chance to go anywhere, where would you go? African plains and the African savannas.

Jesse Hernandez and Jose Dondiego, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Apprentice Crew Leader, Forest Preserve Leadership CorpsBy: Jesse Hernandez, Apprentice Crew Leader for Eggers Grove, Chicago Conservation Leaderships Corps

Jesse began his career with the Student Conservation Association in his Freshmen year of high school at Infinity Math, Science and Technology. He enjoys spending his time playing basketball, sleeping, and spending time with a special person. When he isn’t doing all of that he is out working with for Friends of the Forest Preservers.

Not only is Jesse a leader in Friends’ CCLC, he’s also a crew member of our Forest Preserve Leadership Corps.

Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Crew Member Spotlight- Haider Baig

Posted: July 23rd, 2014

Haider Baig, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Little Red Schoolhouse Crew MemberName: Haider Baig
School: Graduated from Curie Metropolitan High School in 2014
Crew: Little Red Schoolhouse

When I think of a model Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps crew member, Haider Baig was the first to come to mind. Not only is Haider an exceptional student, but he is also a responsible individual who puts family first. Haider will be an incoming Freshman at DePaul University after graduating from Curie Metropolitan High School. Surprisingly, he considers doing household chores as hobby due to the amount of time he puts into them, as well as the importance of supporting his family. He enjoys reading and exploring new areas and environments. Haider hopes this six-week experience at Little Red Schoolhouse will help him develop his ability to communicate and collaborate with his current and future peers. He wants to receive his MBA at DePaul and try to influence the people around him to make smarter, greener choices. No matter what path he chooses to take, the future of this CCLC crew member is bright.

Jaime Davila, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Little Red Schoolhouse Apprentice Crew LeaderBy: Jaime Davila, Apprentice Crew Leader for the Little Red Schoolhouse crew, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps

Jaime began his career with the Student Conservation Association in his Junior year of high School at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. He enjoys basketball, food, air, sleep and the internet.

Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Crew Member Spotlight- Kyana Harrod

Posted: July 18th, 2014

Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Whistler Woods Crew Member Kyana Harrod

Name: Kyana Harrod
Crew: Whistler Woods

I’ve had the pleasure of bouncing around in many Friends of the Forest Preserves internships and meeting a wonderful assortment of people. I’m especially happy to be a part of the Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps because I get to help guide a diverse group of individuals in the direction of an environmental field. One of the amazing students that I had the pleasure of meeting is Kyana Harrod. I interviewed Kyana “Key” and this is her take on her experience so far with the CCLC.

1. What brought you to this program? I’ve always had an interest in the environment because my family has their own garden. And this is a way to get off the couch and get out into nature this summer.

2. What is your impression of CCLC compared to before you started working and now? When I first started working it was a challenge because of the insects. But as the days went on it became easier to cope with because I have adjusted to being outdoors. Now I see them as my ugly new friends.

3. How can you incorporate everything you’ve learned so far with program into your daily life? One thing that I’ve learned is responsibility. Timeliness has also been a big improvement on my part. Another thing would be, I learned how to operate efficiently on a small crew, I’m proud to say I know the true definition of hard work!

Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Whistler Woods Apprentice Crew Leader Dyrell Williams

By: Dyrell Williams, Apprentice Crew Leader for the Whistler Woods Crew, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps

Dyrell has been an active force in conservation for more than four years. He started his conservation career in a high school program with the Student Conservation Association. He has volunteered at over 30 different forest preserve sites in Cook County. His favorite place to be is under an oak tree and he loves using his chainsaw. He plans to continue his service to nature whether it is through his career or hobby, and he will be attending college in the fall.

Not only is Dyrell a leader in Friends’ CCLC, he’s also a crew member of our Forest Preserve Leadership Corps.

Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Crew Member Spotlight- Anna Westmoreland

Posted: July 14th, 2014

Anna Westmoreland, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps River Trails Crew Member

Name: Anna Westmoreland
Age: 16
School: Northside Prep
Grade: Incoming Senior
Crew: River Trails

1. What is something you are most passionate about? The environment, the responsibility to take care of it. The environment is something I want to continue to care for and to study in the future.

2. Is this your first conservation job? And if so, what are you most excited for? Yes, this is my first job in conservation. I’m excited for everything; getting rid of invasive species, learning even more about the environment and certain plants.

3. How did you hear about this particular summer program? My biology teacher knows I’m interested in conservation and she directed me towards this job.

4. Why do you think conservation is important? I know that the rising problem of climate change is something that we are dealing with now, and it’s important to do our best to not only maintain the problem, but to try and fix it as well.

5. What is a personal story you have about an experience with nature? Growing up I use to bike everywhere and that helped to foster this love I have for nature. When you spend so much time outdoors early on in your youth, you grow a bond with nature that begins in your childhood.

6. A place you want to go to? Hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

Jenny Kulb, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps River Trails Assistant Crew Leader

By: Jenny Kulb, Apprentice Crew Leader for the River Trails Crew, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps

This is Jenny’s third season working at River Trails. Jenny graduated from Evanston Township High School in 2013. She currently attends Indiana University in Bloomington, where she is getting a double major in English, with an emphasis in Creative Writing and in East Asian Languages & Culture, with an emphasis in Japanese. In her free time, Jenny likes to take pictures of her food, watch Netflix, and go for runs.

Learn more about the Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps!

Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Crew Member Spotlight- Alec Alving

Posted: July 9th, 2014

Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps Dan Ryan/Sand Ridge crew member Alec Alving

Name: Alec Alving
Age: 17
Grade: Incoming Senior
Crew: Dan Ryan/San Ridge

As an Apprentice Crew Leader in the Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps, I can tell you that this summer program is only the next step to a life-long dedication to the environment. I have the pleasure of working with 10 incredible high school students coming from different parts of the Beverly area.

One great crew member is Alec Alving. After not being accepted to the CCLC  last summer, Alec reapplied and became part of the Dan Ryan/Sand Ridge crew. He is eager to learn more about nature and meet new people. For him, having the opportunity to work at Dan Ryan, the place where he would ride his bike along side his dad, is perfect. Alec looks forward to invasive removal and to making difference in the world.

Gloria Orozco, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps, Dan Ryan/Sand Ridge Apprentice Crew Leader

By: Gloria Orozco, Apprentice Crew Leader for the Dan Ryan/Sand Ridge Crew, Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps

Volunteering and working in the forest preserves for the past 5 years, Gloria has gone from a sophomore in high school volunteering three times a year, to being involved in conservation year-round.

Not only is Gloria a leader in Friends’ CCLC, she is also a member of our Forest Preserve Leadership Corps.