Et cetera : One Flock: NCCC Oak 8 Manages Land & Provides Environmental Education

During a day of invasive species removal, Team Leader Elizabeth Siliato refueled the chainsaw.

By: Colleen Glatzel and Olivia Brown

On March 24, AmeriCorps NCCC team Oak 8 loaded their green van and advanced toward their first project destination: Wapello, IA. The team is assisting the Louisa County Conservation Board (LCCB) with land management and environmental education until May 1. They’re also serving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFW), the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Louisa County is home to Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge, which protects 8,375 acres on the Mississippi River. It’s a migration and nesting habitat for more than 278 species of birds. This is just an example of the land Oak 8 has been working on. The team has been laboring diligently alongside their sponsors on a variety of tasks. The team is maintaining recreational trails at a plethora of parks and preserves, as well as removing invasive species of plants through prescribed burns. In addition, Oak 8 has played a role in educating local youth on the environment and the importance of its preservation. The latter has been an especially rewarding task for the group, as they are learning that change is a slow and steady process.

Oak 8 recognizes that change within their group will also be a slow and steady process. However, the team has already begun their exhilarating evolution. This experience is elevating them from a mere group to a forceful flock. Says Justin Jenkins, “(Our team) can put our heads together and can get through anything without falling apart.”