The outside is always there and always waiting for me to come home. It’s my role model; so many shades of green, so diverse, so patient, so cohesive, so intuitive and so so intelligent. Here in my new home in Holderness, I’m scarcely anywhere but on the lake; on the boat on the islands or underwater for hours at a time, be it on the clock or in my free time. I spend my winters this way, too-here in The Whites- in the mountains and in the snow, Patrolling and adventuring. Watching the natural world change around me makes me feel alive. It shows me what it’s like to be truly honest with your emotions; how powerful mother earth can be in times of raging storm and in times of purest sunshine beauty and energy. I love the way the outside calls to me -to me, Jenna- to be known. Living things want to be known by name and by purpose and by interrelation and by origin. It invites me into its wild and free family and celebrates me every time I grow to understand it a little better. In this way its taught me the value of reciprocity, that dedicating myself to serving and bettering my environment brings about a matched goodness in me.
Serving Squam and its watershed through the LRCC has given me ample opportunity to dive into the lake ecosystem and get to know my homeland better, learning ever more and more about our states natural history. Through conferences and research initiatives with local universities, public education and trailside conversations, and most significantly through SCUBA diving different corners of different coves each day, my mind has been opened and I’ve grown to be a better scientist and a better steward. This work makes conservation my purpose, and this makes my days really full and really fun.
I get to see all the sweet New Hampshire trees I know so well in a new habitat that I’ve never been exposed to, and I get to watch them show me how to adapt. I get to see things I thought I understood in a new light, and I see new creatures I don’t understand but feel called to. I see big ugly catfish underwater, a place where you don’t just have to watch your back, you’ve got life teeming in every direction around you, beyond your control. I get scared of things I can’t see, and things I can’t name when they do dart into view through the weeds and the shadows. On a few occasions I’ve screamed in fear into my regulator, hoping my tender on the surface didn’t hear it or see me flinch away from that turtle I accidentally picked up in the root ball of some milfoil. Or that catfish that just charged me, barbs out. But I consider overcoming my fears a fun hobby, and I dive in every day, and every day I feel more a part of this world and a less afraid.
This connection is a true gift and I feel grateful for all the ways my time at the SLA makes me feel more rooted in this region that I plan to stay for a while. The days go by slow and steady and full of action, and this has been a really rewarding summer of working with the land and the water after four years in classrooms and labs learning about these dynamics. The beauty here makes me feel free. It’s easy to celebrate every day just looking out over the lily pads and the water flowers and all my new friends using all their new skills and learning so much and working so hard right alongside me.
Jenna is a half-year member serving with the Squam Lakes Association. Learn more about Jenna here!