Erin's Americorps highlights

On my last day as the AmeriCorps Member at Little Forks Conservancy I’ve been reflecting over these past ten months. I’ve been thrilled to assist with a wide variety of projects.

By far my favorite project has been the biannual MiCorps Stream Sampling. Learning to collect macroinvertebrates, identifying them, and then watching volunteers participate in collecting data has been a very rewarding experience!

Another aspect of my service has been connecting with people in the community. During my conservation easement monitoring I always felt inspired to see the properties and meet with landowners invested in conservation. I saw my first porcupine monitoring a conservation easement. 

Witnessing wildlife in Michigan, like porcupines, has also been a highlight for me. In May I was fortunate enough to help survey for eastern massasauga rattlesnakes. At Little Forks’ preserves I’ve seen salamanders, hognose snakes, and amazing wildlife in vernal pools!

Fairy shrimp at Forestview Natural Area's vernal pools.

Wood turtle at Averill Preserve.

Hognose snake at Riverview Natural Area.

Finally, my last highlight was building two boardwalks with volunteers at Riverview Natural Area. I had never built a boardwalk before, and it was very satisfying to build each boardwalk in less than a day and know that it will be used for years to come.

My experience at Little Forks Conservancy has been wonderful and I appreciate the community at Little Forks that made this possible! ​

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Written by Huron Pines AmeriCorps member Erin Dodd. Huron Pines AmeriCorps is a program of Huron Pines and is supported in part by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Michigan Community Service Commission, Huron Pines, and contributions from host sites.