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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2015)
10 schools october1 2015 A Summer With Northwest Youth Corp By Bridger Steward and Brad Ely Bridger Stewart and Brad Ely, both graduates of Vernonia High School, spent time this past summer as part of the Northwest Youth Corp program. The following is their account of what they experienced. When I was in my freshman year of high school, a friend of mine had just returned from a session at Northwest Youth Corps. He told me all about the program, what they did, where they did it, and all of the amazing people who ran the crews. It sounded so cool! T h e following Summer I was able to become a Corp member and had a blast. When you go out for a session, you are placed on a 12 person crew of likeminded individuals who have the passion and drive for conservation work, such as invasive species removal, trail restoration, and some fencing projects as well. It’s eight to ten hour days, sunshine or snow, swinging a tool to help shape a new section of trail that people will get to enjoy, all because of you and your crew. After my first session I was immediately hooked, the lifestyle of a trail dog was the life for me. Granted we only got a shower once a week, didn’t have any electronic devices, and had no cell phones. I know that all sounds very scary for some people out there, however, as soon as you give up these luxuries for a measly five weeks, you become more in tune with the things around you, like the awesome people you’ll meet, the beautiful things mother nature created, and you become more of a grounded person in my opinion. This summer I was given the opportunity to work for them again Meet Author Molly Gloss Monday, October 26 5:30 - 7:00 pm Molly Gloss will be at the Vernonia Public Library to discuss her novel, Falling From Horses, as well as her writing in general. Molly will also be our guest for a bite to eat following the discussion. Anone who wishes to join us at a local restaurant -Dutch treat - needs to let the library staff know ahead of time. as a BLP member. BLP stands for Backcountry Leadership Program, which is made up of the people who stand out on the front country crews and who are chosen to become part of BLP the following year. My crew was a very interesting bunch, a lot of people you would never have guessed would have gotten along so well. For five weeks we built trail reinforcements and did general trail maintenance at 9700 feet in the Sawtooth Mountain Range in Idaho. It was truly a breathtaking moment when we would wake up an hour before daylight, hike to the tallest ridge next to our camp to go to scholarship to go along with it. So if you want to get out into the woods, swing a tool, meet some awesome people, and get paid to do it, go to www.nwyouthcorps.org. ~Bridger Steward work and watch the sun rise. I’ve never seen something as beautiful as I did on those days. For anyone that truly enjoys the outdoors, doesn’t mind doing something hard, but extremely rewarding, and has a drive to become a better person, I highly recommend this program. Oh and you get paid for it too, with an Americorp when and where you will work. I was put into South 4, the session taking place in southern Oregon the latter half of the summer and got paired up with 9 other kids in Red Crew who came from as far away as New York. I didn’t think that I would come to enjoy their company as much as I did. On weekends we rejoined Portland. She is the bestselling author of The Jump-Off Creek, The Dazzle of Day, Wild Life, The Hearts of Horses and Falling From Horses. Her work has earned numerous awards, including an Oregon Book Award, a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, the PEN West Fiction Prize, the James Tiptree Jr. Award, and a Whiting Writers Award. • Custom Home Construction • Home Additions • Finish Carpentry • Kitchen & Bath Remodels • Ceramic Tile Work • Commercial Tenant Improvements Vernonia Public Library • 701 Weed Avenue • 503-429-1818 Vernonia’s Voice is published on the 1st and 3rd Thursday. Our next issue will be out October 15th. Ph: (503) 429-0154 Jim Morrison, Jr. MorrisonRemodeling@hughes.net General Contractor Vernonia, OR 97064 CCB# 112057 • Licensed • Bonded • Insured Grey Dawn Gallery 879 Bridge St. (503) 429-2787 Photography - Bronze Jewelry - Glasswork Pottery - Custom Framing 59229 Nehalem Hwy. South www.greydawngallery.com www.spiralzsalon.com Featuring the finest in northwest art Visit US today for all your financial needs! (503) 449-3591 www.CabinInVernonia.com Weddings & Receptions Birthdays/Anniversaries Baby/Bridal Showers Reunions/Retreats Meetings/Corporate Events Josh, Teresa, Juli, Teresa, Josh, Nola, Davia Margy & Stepheny 905 Street 905 Bridge Bridge Street (503) (503) 429-6271 429-6271 $30/hour $250/full day $25/full kitchen usbank.com Member FDIC continued on page 15 Morrison Remodeling, Inc. Molly Gloss is a fourth-generation Oregonian who lives in 503.429.7408 My experience at Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) this summer was a very interesting one. For those who don’t know, NYC is an opportunity for youth between 15 and 18 to get outdoors and learn about nature, create/maintain trails and remove invasive plants, while earning an educational stipend. You can apply for different sessions, determining We saddle shoe. Do you? 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