Getting outside and enjoying nature is an activity that has been crucial to many throughout the pandemic. It’s relatively easy to maintain social distancing guidelines while on a walk, bike ride, or hike on one of the many nature paths throughout Eugene and Springfield. What you may not know is that in addition to entities like city Parks and Open Spaces, the Looking Glass operated Lane-Metro Youth Corps helps steward these lands enjoyed by the masses.
Since 1990, Looking Glass' Lane-Metro Youth Corps has coordinated work crews year-round, giving paid work experience to hundreds of Lane County youth over the years and helping to make improvements to a variety of local natural resources and habitats. This year we are operating two summer work crews, and a few crew members shared the following insights about their involvement with Looking Glass and the LMYC while out in Meadowlark Prairie, as the team worked to remove Thistle, a beautiful but invasive flowering species.
Haley, with a bag full of Thistle!
Haley, age 15, attends Springfield High School, and the Lane-Metro Youth Corps is her first ever paid job experience. Haley says she is learning a lot about the importance of communication and team work. She’s enjoying the chance to be outside, and plans to participate on Fall crew. She expressed that the Lane Metro Youth Corps is helping her not feel as isolated as she was feeling in spring at the onset of the pandemic.
Abigail, on her sixteenth birthday!
This is Aby’s second summer working on the LMYC. She enjoys a lot about the program, but if she had to pick her favorite aspect of being involved it might be learning about plant identification. Being involved in the crew has sparked an interest and passion for botany. Her favorite crew project is trail head maintenance, especially when there is ample shade!
Shenae, feeling at home in the outdoors.
Shenae, age 23, has been enjoying her time on summer crew. She grew up spending a lot of time in outdoor spaces. In early childhood she lived on her grandma’s farm in Elmira, and has enjoyed camping, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, archery, (you name it!), ever since. She finds spending time in nature helps her heal from past traumatic experiences. She had been connected to farm work through the Riverfront Job Training Program, but that job placement ended early due to the pandemic. Sheane is dedicated to this work experience, commuting all the way from the small town of Tangent, Oregon, just south of Albany.
This Thistle removal was a Bureau of Land Management project, and was funded through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Fund. Other examples of summer work projects the Youth Corps takes on include trail, bridge or fence construction; neighborhood park improvements; fisheries habitat improvement, nursery/greenhouse maintenance and more. The program is operated by Looking Glass in partnership with the Lane Workforce Partnership, Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, and the City of Eugene. Private donations are always welcomed to help offset other, additional expenses.
If you would like to learn more about the Lane-Metro Youth Corps, please contact Riverfront Director Cheryl Zwillinger at cheryl.zwillinger@lookingglass.us.