This winter was busy. Over the last few months I have been teaching GMCG’s GET WET program, our water testing and evaluation program. I taught students about the importance of water quality and what influences it. We then tested their water in class and they had the opportunity to take a test kit home to test their water quality. My favorite part of the program was teaching students about the data they collected and how to interpret it. I made these gorgeous charts and graphs that highlighted their data and I taught students how to calculate their own statistics! It has been great to be a part of a program that gives families access to free water quality testing. I even tested my own water to give me some peace of mind, since I now know about all the potential contaminants. It’s better to test and fail, than to never have tested at all.
I am afraid to officially use the term spring; I do not want to jinx the warm weather. Instead, I have been using the term ‘fools spring’ to describe the last couple weeks. This warm weather is not to be trusted. With that being said, I was still caught by surprise last week when it snowed again. I am from Long Island so in theory my spring would have started around a month ago, but who’s counting! I have been very jealous of my friends calling me talking about how beautiful the crocuses look when I am still looking at a foot of snow.
‘Fools spring’ has fully tested my patience, and brought out emotions of betrayal and confusion. I just got used to the landscape with the snow, and with it all melted away everything looks unfamiliar again. This feeling reminds me of COVID when the mask mandates were ending. I had coworkers that I met and worked with for months, but I never saw them without a mask. It was a weird transition at first, but it was a good change because I could now see their full face. Similarly to the forest, I can now see its whole face. As I walk on the trails, I introduce myself to all these rocks and saplings that were apparently here this whole time.
I have been enjoying the warm weather. When I am not serving, you can find me sitting on a chair angled directly towards the sun. This activity is something that I feel like I have perfected over the years, but I cannot take full credit for. I have a collection of vague memories of my Grandpa sitting on stoops, porches, or chairs outside in silence. A perfect activity for any season. More leisurely pursuits of mine are having a fire in the backyard or going fishing, which just so happen to be extensions of the basic principle of sitting. I haven’t been able to do either yet, just the basics.
Graph that shows the relationship between Conductivity and Chloride levels found in student’s wells. There is a strong correlation between them.
Rose is serving with Green Mountain Conservation Group as an Education Assistant. She graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Wildlife Conservation and has worked in forests, farms, and beaches. Rose loves talking about any environmental topics or about any good reality tv shows. Learn more about her here.
Rose pictured teaching students how to test for Iron in water.