Before I moved out West, conservation wasn’t something I really ever thought about. When I moved here, I fell in love. I really got into hiking and backpacking, particularly in the Grand Canyon, and when I retired I needed something to do. I heard about Trust volunteer trips and thought, well, that’s right up my alley, so I signed up.
It’s hard to pick. In 2008, I was on a Warm Fire vegetation monitoring trip on the Kaibab Plateau. It was August, and a huge storm rolled in — it was the same storm that flooded Havasu Canyon that summer. We were camped out in the forest, and the storm sat over us the entire night. The thunder and lightning — it was incredible — and frightening as hell. We were all in our own tents thinking we should get in our cars but were too scared to get out of our tents and run. We got up the next morning — everyone was shell-shocked! I had never experienced anything like that in my life! The funniest part was that the camp “groover” was floating in a pool of water. Thank goodness someone closed the lid!
In today’s political climate, and with underfunded agencies, volunteers can really make a difference. I don’t have a science background, but I feel like I understand scientific research methods from being on so many different trips and love to collect and enter data that will actually be used.
Emily Thompson directs the Grand Canyon Trust’s Volunteer Program.
Advocate Magazine
Fall/Winter 2017
Also in this issue:
An 800-mile trek through the wild heart of the Grand Canyon. Read now ›