Guest Post - Come Away With Me

Our guest blogger, Rachel, is a former UCC Volunteer and Utah Certified Environmental Educator, who is now working as a Resident Instructor for the Yellowstone Association....

I've spent much of the past few weeks scouring the northern range of Yellowstone looking for wildlife. I've never devoted so much time looking for animals. Although I am no stranger to Yellowstone, I am still amazed by the diversity of the wildlife in an ecosystem with very little human interference. Before lunch on Thursday I had seen a 5 point mule deer, a golden eagle, a bald eagle, bison being hazed back into park boundaries (that's another story), coyotes, a trophy elk resting in a pasture among some horses just outside the park, pronghorn antelope pawing away the snow to reach grass, and three bighorn sheep rams battling for mating privileges with a young ewe. The days that followed added to that list multiple foxes, a wolf pack, and an assortment of birds. Not to mention Dasher and Dancer were hanging out by my door this past week. I've learned that if I pull over with a scope and search carefully, something will be out there going about its life. I spent yesterday snowshoeing up a ridge with overlooking a glacial carved valley contrasted with a canyon created by a river. I felt all alone at the top of the world, until I came over a rise and found a few bighorn sheep looking back at me. I detoured around three separate groups. It isn't easy to survive the harsh winters here. I watched kids born in the spring paw at the snow to reach the dead grasses underneath. Sometimes it takes more energy to get to the grass than is received from eating it.

As I trudged (which is the only form of movement that can be done on snowshoes) back towards my car I thought how difference between an excursion in Yellowstone than other places: the animals here are as much a part of the landscape as the thermal features and rivers. It is easy to imagine myself as a mountain man like Jim Bridger, or even a pioneer. They saw the West filled with life around every corner. To take a walk alone here is to step back in time and catch a glimpse of life before Europeans fulfilled their "manifest destiny". It takes more effort to live near wildlife. If there are deer or other ungulates around having a garden or planting new trees can be difficult. If there are predators it changes how we care for our pets and where we put our garbage. I have been impressed by the community here that has learned to do some of these things.

Coyote taking the easiest path to his destination.

Yellowstone is a place where wildlife can live essentially without human involvement and that's not the best choice for every landscape. But in every landscape we can make small changes in our lives that improve the situation for our furry, feathered, and pollinating friends. A backyard can easily be made into a bird habitat. Do you know which plants are native to your area? Try growing a few. Nature isn't just thousands of miles away in a designated state or federal facility. It can also be in each town or city, if we make a place for it.

"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land." -Aldo Leopold

See more from Rachel here.

Happy Holidays

We hope your holidays have been wonderful, and that you have a very happy new year!

If Hope Is an Action, How Do You "Do" Hope? By: Jamie Pleune

To hope is to gamble. It’s to bet on the future, on your desires, on the possibility that an open heart and uncertainty are better than gloom and safety. To hope is dangerous, and yet it is the opposite of fear, for to live is to risk.
Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark

We finished the backcountry portion of our journey. Our packs sit in the corner of our room. No quick trip to the grocery store to resupply or the Laundromat to clean our camping clothes this time. We have permanently switched back to our “town clothes.”

Friends keep asking me, “What next?”

Click here to read the rest of Jamie's Story

Click here Final Third of a Pilgrimage for Hope: Miles 231 to 350 from Ryan and Jamie Pleune

Holiday Dilemma

I’m not much of a mall person, the crowds drive me crazy and the space of each room seems to shrink twice its size during the holiday frenzy. I hate driving; even more so in busy traffic and if you add snow and bad roads to the mix- I’m pretty sure I could possibly end up having a nervous breakdown. This is going to get much more positive, I promise, just bare with me.

I am the youngest of four children and sadly, have not purchased one single Christmas gift for any of them. Christmas is a little over a week away. Time to panic? Perhaps. With my issues of malls, crowds, and driving I may have a bit of a conundrum. How may I gift without having to begrudgingly face the beast of traffic and the consumer jungle? I could do online shopping. Not until this year have I so frequently heard the term “cyber Monday” and “Eclipse Saturday”- thinking it was another day that I had ignored the in your face “killer deal” ad’s and the “I got three flat screen TV's for $300.00”conversations ( three TV’s-really?). Cyber Monday is a day where one can avoid the crowds but amongst a time in a recession, have the opportunity to purchase gifts at reduced prices. “Eclipse Saturday”, sad to report, is not the consumer-market predecessor of Black Friday. It is the highly-anticipated DVD release date of Stefanie Meyer’s sequel to Twilight. At least that is what I was told by a bewildered FYI teenage sales associate, when I inquired about the term.

At this point what would be the point? I no longer can benefit from the marked down prices of “cyber Monday” and after searching to find the perfect gifts for my older siblings who seem to already have everything they need, I would have to consider the time period for delivery.
Almost succumbing to the realization that I may be doomed to resort to my early college days and slap my name on whatever present my parents purchased, I suddenly recalled when my brother (at the time a 24 year old man) opened a DVD entitled “Happy Feet”, I promised myself that I would never jeopardize my reputation in gifting again.

Insert a brightly lit light bulb above my head and a delightful chime- I have an ingenious idea to solve my holiday dilemma! I will MAKE them all presents! Wait, the idea looks much better in my mind then on the paper. I love glass. I collect wine bottles from friend’s houses and old glass containers from yard sales and second-hand stores. My supervisor lent me a bottle cutter that cuts glass in a circular motion. So, with using what I have, here is what my gift ideas will look like for my two sisters and one brother:

Oldest sister, Nichol: She just moved into a beautiful home in the avenues and has an incredible backyard, where the previous owner (a horticulturist) planted a melody of beautiful plants, flowers, and vines reaching every corner of the yard. At night it’s most definitely a place to find peace on earth. I thought these would add to the wonderful night scene:

Candle Lanterns made out of reused bottles:













Click here to learn how to make the lanterns.

Second oldest sister, Chantelle: My sister will be moving in with me to our new house with a yard and hopefully a garden! I know the one thing she is looking forward to in having a yard is the numerous possibilities of having friends and family over for dinner parties. I thought this would go well with her deliciously famous salad dressings:

A recycled glass bottle for serving homemade dressings:














You can get the spouts at Cali’s Natural Foods.

Last the brother- Shae: Poor guy three sisters, none of which are shy to tell him what’s on our mind. He however, is more of a listener than a talker- by choice or by circumstance, I’m not sure really. Point is he is a little more difficult to name a gift for and never answers anyone straight forward when asked, “What do you want for Christmas?” I did realize that he had just a few plain looking plastic cups at his house for drinking glasses, so this idea came to mind:

Drinking glasses made from bottles. You can find old fashion ones at second-hand stores or use popular brands of soda or beer bottles:













Click here to learn how to cut glass.

Note: Cutting glass is dangerous. Sites referenced are not necessarily advice given by professionals. Additional research should be conducted before attempting this activity.

Problem solved! Happy Holidays!

By: Charice Bourdeaux

"Green" Your Holiday Season

Want a “greener” holiday season? Save money while still giving thoughtful and personalized gifts? USEE’s Intern Amanda has come up with some tips to reduce your environmental impact and help make your money go further this holiday season.

10 tips to save money, get creative and stay green during your holiday season:

1. Send Christmas cards online. Save the paper and postage this year by using free sites like All Things Christmas, Punchbowl and 123Greetings. With e-cards you can still attach a personal message and pictures of the kids, dogs, or whole family. It’s a great way to show a loved one you are thinking of them this holiday season.
2. Deck your halls with LED lights. When it comes to string lights, LED are the way to go. They use much less energy than the alternatives. Most new trees already come with LED lights.
3. Plan before you shop. Know who you are shopping for and an get an idea of what they would like. If possible, plan to go to one centralized location to minimize driving.
4. Think outside the gift box. We all have newspaper scraps, old bits of fabric, baskets, jars, magazine pages, boxes, coffee cans, and more. Get creative and use what you have around the house to wrap a present; your family and friends will love the creativity and you will love the savings. Also consider using boxes or bags that can be re-used, like these “baxes” from Family Fun.
5. Decorations. Whether it’s your first Christmas or your 20^th, you can still get creative with your decorations. Use clay from the craft store, they usually have kits for this, or buttons, ribbon, colored paper, colored popcorn balls (to be eaten Christmas day), go scavenger outside for acorns, berries and more. A simple can of glittery spray paint and you have festive ornaments or centerpieces. For more DIY creative ideas.
6. Make your own gifts. Recently married, had a child or bought a new home? Make a simple scrapbook of some memorable pictures for parents and grandparents. Have an aunt who loves to cook? Give her a basket of the ingredients for her signature dish. Do you love canning? Make a basket of homemade jam and muffins or bread. Do your grandparents need help around the house? Make a coupon book for mowing the lawn, fixing a broken door, etc. A small and simple gift will be cherished for years to come.
7. Buy local. Cooking up a feast for Christmas dinner? Look for what is in season, like root vegetables and citrus. If it is no longer growing season where you live and you can’t buy strictly local, try buying more local by choosing produce grown in California versus Chile, etc.
8. Reuse your wrappings. The easiest way to go green on Christmas, get a box and fold and put away all wrapping, tissue and ribbon. Save it for next year, use it for another project or to wrap birthday presents for the coming year. If you don’t have the storage capacity to keep wrappings and ribbons, be sure to recycle what you can.
9. Have fun. Enjoy Christmas, it’s a festive time to be spent with family. Take the train downtown to see the lights, or stay in and watch Christmas movies.

Keep your Christmas traditions alive while incorporating new ones to create a memorable and green Christmas.

Happy Holidays

Intern Amanda

Who will you nominate?

Do you know an extraordinary volunteer or service organization? Celebrate their service by nominating them for one of the 2011 Utah Volunteer Service Awards!

Deadline to submit is Monday, February 7th, 2011.


Here's a message from Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell with more information:


Dear Friends in Service,

Utahns across the state give selflessly of themselves to help improve the lives of others. They perform their good deeds largely unnoticed, without compensation and without any expectation of reward or commendation. The Utah Volunteer Service Awards celebrate the extraordinary volunteer efforts of Utahns at the Lieutenant Governor's Volunteer Recognition and Awards Banquet held as part of the Utah Conference on Service April 19, 2011 hosted by the Utah Commission on Volunteers.

We are currently seeking nominations and encourage you to nominate one or more groups or individuals for these awards. Categories include:

- Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award
- Lt. Gov. Civic Volunteer of the Year
- Corporate Volunteer Program of the Year
- Non-Profit Volunteer Program of the Year
- Volunteer Administrator of the Year
- Senior Volunteer of the Year
- Youth Service Award
- Community Preparedness Award
- AmeriCorps Member of the Year
- AmeriCorps VISTA Member of the Year

To nominate a volunteer, or group of volunteers, please fill out the nomination form at our website www.volunteers.utah.gov or return the attached form. Thank you for your help in recognizing those Utahns who personify the spirit of volunteerism and community service.

Yours in Service,
Greg Bell, Utah's Lieutenant Governor
Shar Lewis, Executive Director, Utah Commission on Volunteers

Event Update: Holiday Open House & Art Show

Fred Montague, keynote speaker from this year's annual conference, will be showing some of his artwork this weekend at Red Butte Gardens.

This festive and free event has become a wonderful tradition at the Garden. For two days they have free admission to the public, their popular Wreath-Making workshops, and fantastic local artists like Fred offering their work for sale. Every year they attract holiday shoppers looking for special, unique gifts.

The open house will be on Saturday & Sunday, December 4th and 5th, from 10 AM - 5 PM at the Garden (300 Wakara Way, SLC).

Do you, your kids, or your students enjoy playing in the dirt? Planting bulbs and watching them grow? Want a new way to interact with and teach your students in an outdoor setting?

The Bulb Project is a great way for educators to get their students outside and learning about science, art, history, and more while growing our environment. This is a great project for schools, after-school programs, home schooling, community programs and more.

The Bulb Project has awarded grants worth $250 to supply bulbs to projects around the country, creating a variety of exciting, original and active activities for students of all ages. Educators collaborate with local retail partners using flower bulbs to:

• Establish creative plantings, including a living flower bed quilt, a labyrinth, and rainbows of blooms.
• Conduct scientific research, including testing the effect of growth regulators on flower bulbs, tracking the arrival of spring, and experimenting with bulbs for low-water-use, green landscaping.
• Create special gardens to foster teamwork, inter-generational relationships, conflict resolution and peacemaking.
• Integrate flower bulb activities with all aspects of the curriculum -- from language and art to science and math.

The students at The McGillis School recently received a grant and participated in The Bulb Project. The Stars of David, the theme for The McGillis School Bulb Project, integrates science and art for students in grades 1 through 8. The students studied, designed, and planted Persian Buttercups and Ranunculus asiaticus in the xeriscaped school garden of the new LEED-certified middle-school addition. The students will study the cells of the root system, which form interlocking Stars of David, and learn how the plants cope with drought and heat. The planting will reflect the school’s Jewish values of Tikun Olam, repair the world, and will be used as a teaching tool for green building and landscaping.

The students are excited to see their flowers bloom, and will be documenting the journey of the bulbs. Be sure to check back for updates on the flower, and see how The Star of David comes to life.