MHDubbin’ It! - Morning Health Workshop Y'all! - NRock

Let’s take a moment and time travel, shall we? Take yourself back Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at approximately 6:45 am. I’d imagine you must have been snuggled warm in your sleeping bag while thoughts of pro-deals and Wild Bill ran through your noggin. Sounds luxurious. Now, please imagine that while you were still REMin’ it the folks up here in N.Rock were workin’ it. Decked out in the finest active wear found at the Salvation Army, your fellow crew leaders were MHDubbin’ it. What’s MHDub you question? Morning Health Workshop, of course. Every Tuesday and Thursday we rise before the sun to prepare our temples for what’s to come. Here is a sneak peek into what we do that makes us look so good. Cheers!


WARM UP:
Jump back & forth over line x10
Jump side to side x10
Scissor switch over line x10
Crisscross over line x10
Neck clocks x10
Lunges (fwd to back) x10
Squats x10
Heel to toe raises x10

20 Yards and Back:
1. RUN
2. Walking knee hug
3. Walking quad stretch
4. Straight leg march
5. Skip – Skip – Swoop
6. Shuttle
7. RUN
8. Lateral Lunge
9. Side to Side Swing
10. RUN

WORK OUT:
Set cones in ZIG-ZAG formation 10yds apart
Shuttle sprint x4
Back peddle x4
Shuttle x4
Sprint x4

CORE:
Full sit up
Flutter kicks
Russian sailor
Toe touches
Dying cockroaches
Plank (1 min. Front, L side, R side)

Stretch and Hydrate!

NRock Gets a New Office - Ahmad Bassiri, YCL

‘Bang, bang, bang’ the hammer drives the nail into the 2x4. Hunched over and smothered with fine white dust covering my new duck brown carhartts, I stand up reaching for the sky to release the tension in my sore vertebrae. I take a deep breathe and ponder over what delicious concoction of a meal I’ll make for dinner tonight….will it be the mac & cheese or the remnants of last nights sour dough pizza….. Suddenly my focus is broken by a deafening cacophony of power tools roaring in the background and by the miscellaneous pings and thuds that pierce my ears. Drops of sweat shimmering on my cheek and streaks of black mud scarring my forehead, I glance furtively behind me only to see my colleagues camouflaged in the same fine white dust-and they’re hard at work brandishing power drills setting up sheet rock.

This construction scene is the site of the new MCC office for the Northern Rockies region. Soon the regional office will leave its former abode in Glacier building situated in downtown Kalispell just off Main street to its new spacious home cradled in the new Gateway Community Center appropriately neighboring socially conscious agencies like the ‘Boys and Girls Club’, ‘United Way’, ‘CASA’ and even a ‘Meals on Wheels’ Cafeteria that has been the talk of the town. New personal offices, a new and improved area for the tool cache, a room equipped with a computer for crew members-even a shower and bath and ample amount of space for much more are many of the luxuries provided by the new headquarters.

Yes, MCC is growing! How fortuitous that I find myself in the midst of MCC’s expansion- embarking towards great new things. This is the biggest season yet for the Northern Rockies region- a record breaking 16 crew leaders! Armed with young eager environmentally friendly troops yielding Pulaskis and shovels, and revitalized with a new mission statement (Montana Conservation Corps inspires young people through hands on conservation service to be leaders, stewards of the land and engaged citizens who improve their communities), MCC is setting itself up for a monumentally huge season seeking to connect young people with local community members. They’re marching in unison towards an epic journey seeking to make a huge contributions and positive change in Kalispell and the surrounding Flathead County.

Bizon! - Paul Twedt, WW

We were contracted by the National Bison Range. They wanted us to clear game trails that the bison use so wranglers on horseback can drive bison to new grazing areas and down the mountain to the tagging and testing pens.

As we arrived at the Range, we had an overwhelming feeling that we had just entered Jurassic Park. Herds of elk and deer, both whitetail and mule, pronghorn and bison, all of epic proportions, were around every bend in the road. We had entered a truly wild place, and we all knew it. The National Bison Range is home to a herd of between three and five hundred bison, depending on the time of year. We took a break to stretch our legs from the drive and meet our sponsors at the Visitor's Center where we had a chance to look around and learn more about the area and the animals that resided there. Tim, our project sponsor/liaison, and Pat Jamieson of the NBR addressed questions of ours and took the chance to give us the details of our project. They lined us out on where we were to clear trails and the importance of clearing the most heavily used trails first because the wranglers were going to be herding the bison toward the end of the week while we were working on clearing other trails.

A week of meticulous chainsaw training earlier in the month ensured that we were all well mentally prepared for the work we would be doing. We collected our chainsaws, equipment, and other tools, gassed up and hit the trail. We soon found out that not only were the animals of monstrous size and numbers, but so were the ticks. The Jurassic Park ticks attempted to consume us whole, but we were indomitable. We quickly became accustomed to tick checks throughout our breaks and continued clearing these thick bison trails relentlessly. Almost every afternoon we were hit with precipitation of some sort, ranging from rain to snow, even gropple, which we dubbed Dippin' Dots. It made for an incredible scene in this wild place, but it never lasted long enough to drag down our high spirits. High winds made for difficult communication while running chainsaws, but we managed to work through the challenge and use our true inner chainsaw voices.

Morning stretch/safety circles were full of funny questions and stretches. Bruce had tucked his pant legs into his socks to prevent ticks from entering, and he had done such a good job that he was unable to do the sumo stretch. One morning the question for the group was, "What is your favorite smell?” When my turn to answer and request a stretch came, I said the "dirty old man." I meant a stretch that we had dubbed "the dirty old man", but everyone broke out laughing thinking that was my favorite smell. Rather than let them down by denying it, I rolled with it, claiming it as my stretch and my answer.

A bunkhouse with all the amenities we could hope for housed most of our crew, while others chose to camp out in the pristine location of the Bison Range campground. Our evenings were full of music. The nightly jam sessions included a minimum of four guitars and a banjo, a plethora of harmonicas and friends/crewmates eager to sing along. Most notably was the Wagonwheel sneak attack, where nearly our whole crew quietly approached our crewmate, Mack's, tent to play and sing their hearts out when he retired for the evening. Mack hates Wagonwheel, and even so, he claimed that it made his night. The meals that the crew prepared were fit for kings (and queens, of course). Venison stew, famous grilled cheese, and other amazing meals that I couldn't name but also couldn't forget.

When the week ended, we all felt that we had accomplished a great amount. We bonded as friends and also as a cohesive working community. The music will not be forgotten, but will continue on and become even better. The standard for meals was set, and we can all only hope that our own abilities and recipes will live up to the precedent. The animals we had the chance of viewing were incredible and numerous, and only the beginning of what we are sure to see throughout the season. The trails we cleared will be appreciated by few, only the wranglers and the wildlife will use them, but they are sure to be pleased with the improvement we were able to be a part of. If that is not enough, the astonishing views of the Mission mountains in the changing skies will be with us in memory forever.

Getting the Hang of It

March 5th, 2010

Of the many activities swirling about in week three with MCC, the one containing the most tangible measure of success would be tool sharpening. With so many educational concepts and models for leadership, many of the notches in the ruler of accomplishment are blurred proficiencies to be sensed rather than measured. Therefore, tool sharpening provided a satisfying contrast to much of our work thus far. Clarity as seen in the honed edge of a blade. For several hours yesterday staff scurried about completing various tasks. We are conducting interviews for our summer crews and packing boxes for the daunting task of moving to a new office location. Come afternoon, I took a break from interviews to sharpen pulaskis and axes outside in warm weather teasing of spring. Though often sitting cross-legged with other co-workers wielding files and blades, I found myself alone for some 10 minutes around 3pm. Now, let me pause here to give you a picture of the city blocks surrounding our office. Directly across the street from the backside of the building is a baseball diamond and a field of grass leading to a playground and small amphitheater. Though there is no school in the immediate vicinity, children often come here to play when their education is completed for the day. As I sat in the grass watching flecks of metal collect on my pant leg, an old woman cobbled past with her dog. She gave me a curious look and I was suddenly struck by the absurdity of the image I projected. I offered her a smile that attempted to convey, “Don’t mind me. Just because I am sitting here alone, sharpening this axe in the field next to those children on the swing set does not mean I have any ill intentions.” She smiled back, but I do not think she was completely convinced. I half expected to see a police car casually drive by following this brief interaction. But if it did, I was already back inside.


-Ashley Tendick

Fork in the Road - Dan Basset, EWCL

Its funny where you find yourself sometimes. Usually this thought comes out of nowhere and instantly puts you into that deep personal thought mode. Its one of those moments when you can feel absolutely apart from everyone and everything in the room. It makes you think about the course of events that got you there and how it ties into the rest of your life. It makes you go back and find out where that fork in the path was.

I had one of these moments today.

If you told me a year ago that I would be where I am today, I wouldn’t believe it for a second. But you would also be talking to a guy that was finishing up his senior year of art school, putting together his thesis show, writing his statement for the review panel and thinking of nothing but what it would feel like to have that diploma in his hand. My life was very different a year ago. The plan after graduation was to jump into the world of photography and be a photographers assistant in some hip studio in some big city making a name for myself, or maybe freelance for some small magazine until I got my big break with TIME. Nowhere did the thought of Montana or the Montana Conservation Corps ever cross my mind.

After graduation, nothing went to plan. No photographers needed any help and the magazines weren’t answering. I felt lost and without direction. To help pass the time, my mom suggested that I start volunteering. Before I knew it I was spending three days a week at a local food pantry. Even though I loved the work, I still didn’t feel satisfied with it, I felt like I was in the same ol’ drag. Maybe it was that I felt trapped by still being at home, or maybe because it wasn’t challenging enough. That was when I found the MCC.

One night while searching for job postings online, I decided to check out the Americorps website to see what they had. It only took a few minutes until I found a posting for a Crew Leader for the Montana Conservation Corps. I read up on it and decided to send in the application. After a phone interview and about a month of waiting for a response, I got a call telling me that I got the job.

So when I found myself today in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness on the Lake Fork Trail in south central Montana, I thought about how much things have changed and how different my life has become. I thought about how I would of never of pictured myself here year ago. I thought about how far apart sharpening a Pulaski is from processing RAW files are(nerdy photo reference). I thought about how much better a summer in Rockies is than working a menial job anywhere else. I thought about the 2300 mile drive from Auburn, New Hampshire to Billings, Montana. I thought about different my life has become and how much better it has become. And I also thought about how great the view is right in front of me.

News from Camp Mak-A-Dream - *Warning - Graphic First Aid Photos Follow*

My quiet Sunday mid-afternoon nap was interrupted by people, scads of them, descending on my home. The bulletins on the doors announced Wilderness Advanced First Aid training, at the time it all seemed innocent enough.

My first eight lives could not have prepared me for the horrors of the ensuing days.

It started like your typical gathering: There was food, laughter, excitement, and the promise of better days to come.

It wasn’t more than four hours into the first day until human breath animated a doll.

Picture 1 (jen amongst CPR dummies)

That evening a pig’s lungs completely separated from its host began breathing on their own.

Picture 2 (wild bill intubating lungs)

I was able to pass that first day off as nothing but catnip induced hallucinations, and to my relief everything returned to normal.

But like any horror movie connoisseur could tell you, this was just the calm before the storm… This man was found outside the mess hall:

Pic 3 (Eric M without finger)

The next morning’s scene was even more grim:

Pic 4 (sawsall impalement)

Thursday is the day I will never forget, eleven people where injured, there where injuries ranging from eviscerated organs, to amputated hands…

Pic 5 (victim group picture)

And even worse..

Pic 6 (Chris and brains)

Even though the swath and magnitude of the injuries was immense, they where all triaged, treated, and brought back safely.

The care, ingenuity, and the pleasant disposition of this group, even under duress was a thing to behold. I envy anyone who gets to spend time with these folk.

That’s all for now from camp Mak-a-Dream

Bob the Cat.

Zoe Zulakis Receives Gov's Award for Civic Engagement, here is the nomination

“…in my pocket, a small pearl - a reminder that even if plastic cannot keep out the cold, maybe compassion and humanity still can.” (from Zoe Zulakis’ essay, “Pearls of Wisdom”)

For Zoe Zulakis, the small gift of a single pearl offered from the bony hand of a cancer-ravaged man living in a dilapidated trailer in Northwest Montana, served as a reminder that the simplest acts of service have the power to transform the world.

Installing window kits in ramshackle trailers in Northwest Montana was the last place Zoe imagined finding herself in October 2008. Just weeks before, she’d been building trails amid the spectacular peaks of Glacier National Park. But even that seemed an odd place for a young woman from Michigan who’d never hiked or camped or laid her eyes on a chainsaw before her arrival in Montana in May 2008.

Zoe started with the Montana Conservation Corps with “no expectations, a faint romanticized view of the Wild West, and perhaps a little bit of foolish wanderlust in me.” In her first weeks, she found the camping, weather, and heavy work with hand tools mighty challenging. During her crew’s first assignment planting 78,000 trees along Silver Bow Creek near Butte, it snowed and rained nearly the whole week. The crew was thigh deep in cold mud every day. Had she bitten off too much? But Zoe persisted, buoyed by her own positive attitude and willingness to try new things and the support of crew leaders and fellow corps members. Soon she earned the respect of her peers for her work ethic and resiliency. When conflicts disrupted the dynamic within the crew, Zoe was a good listener who could help her fellow team members resolve their issues and find a stronger commitment to each other. Her supervisor wrote of her: “Great team player and hard working – not the type to drop a tool in the middle of a task, just because the whistle is about to blow on the end of the day.”

At the end of her term of service, Zoe drafted the essay, “Pearls of Wisdom,” about her experience weatherizing a home in Northwest Montana. Her essay reflected her realization after five months of service with a small crew, that “compassion and humanity” and the commitment to others is the best way to “keep out the cold” and create a better world. Originally published on the MCC blog, her essay has been featured on blogs for The Corps Network and ServeMontana.

Zoe also submitted a photo of her MCC experience for the 2009 AmeriCorps photo contest and her photo received the second place award. Her picture taken during a project digging out feet of snow from the Iceberg Lake trail in Glacier National Park captured the spirit of teamwork under the grandeur of Montana’s mountains.

After completing her AmeriCorps term of service with MCC, Zoe enlisted as a VISTA with the Montana Justice Foundation. Her project focused on enhancing communications among justice organizations in Montana. In addition to her project duties, Zoe stepped forward as the chair of the AmeriCorps Member Advisory Council (ACMAC) ambassador committee to improve communications and networking among AmeriCorps members serving in Montana. She facilitated the development of a member list-serv, developed resources to assist AmeriCorps members in finding affordable housing and applying for public benefits. Zoe also coordinated service projects during Global Youth Service Day, Make a Difference Day, and Martin Luther King Day. In writing about her commitment to service, Zoe reflects: “I volunteer because it makes me feel active and engaged, it makes me feel aware of the needs of my community, and requires some creativity in addressing how that need can be met.”

Zoe recently committed to a third AmeriCorps term of service, returning to the Montana Conservation Corps as a crew leader. In her application, she reflects: “I can’t think of a single experience that has shaped me more profoundly than my year as a crew member in the MCC.” As a crew leader, Zoe hopes to facilitate the same kind of learning for our 2010 crew members, “to allow them to explore new avenues of development.”

The Montana Conservation Corps proudly nominates Zoe Zulakis for a Governors Award for National Service in recognition of her demonstrated commitment to engage others in the transformational journey of service, for her support of fellow AmeriCorps members serving in Montana, and in recognition of the courage she demonstrated in climbing her mountains while bringing a little more warmth into the world through “compassion and humanity.”