The RCD welcomes Christy Wagner and Russ Spangler as the most recent members of the AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project to join the District.

Christy hails from West Virginia, where she recently obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Protection with a minor in Geology from WVU in Morgantown. She loves to cook and experiment with flavors, and her favorite job there was preparing vegetarian dishes at the Mountain People’s Kitchen. Christy also has a talent for nurturing plants and enjoyed retail nursery work back east. Just prior to beginning her term as a Watershed Steward. she helped reorganize and inventory the District’s native plant nursery as a volunteer member of the Natural Resources Conservation Service EarthTeam.

Christy arrived in Trinity County last August, 2006, just in time for the prayer wheel consecration at Ridgzin Ling Gonpa, the Buddhist retreat center in Junction City. She is quick to say it was love and spiritual pursuits that caused her to cross the continent, and good fortune connected her with AmeriCorps and the Watershed Stewards Project (WSP). Christy enjoys the out-of-doors and serendipitous road trips to out-of-the-way places. She is especially enthused about the educational aspects of the WSP in schools and is looking forward to helping with environmental education in area classrooms during her year of service here.

Russ Spangler committed to doing a second year with AmeriCorps’ WSP and chose to spend it with the RCD preparing educational materials and providing classroom lessons in Trinity County. During his first year he served as a science aid to the California Department of Fish and Game, helping to plant hatchery-raised Coho salmon and hiking along tributaries of the Russian River to assess habitats and conduct surveys. Russ says he was disappointed to learn there are so very few fish left in the Russian River watershed.

Russ likes working outdoors but found he really enjoyed the opportunities to teach that WSP has provided. Last year he conducted classroom presentations for elementary students in Ukiah and Santa Rosa on salmon life cycle and macro-invertebrates and discovered how much fun it was. He also served as a volunteer instructor at the Weaverville Elementary School Environment Camp last September during his transition to the RCD and helped students learn how to assess water quality.

Russ is from York, Pennsylvania and studied engineering at Penn State. His experiences with WSP have inspired him to consider switching his studies to Education or Communications when he returns to school next year. Russ enjoys sharing knowledge and likes to explore ways to make learning fun for others. The RCD is already making use of his talents to design and enhance classroom presentations on natural resources.

Russ has rafted both the Gaulley River and New River in West Virginia and hopes to have a chance to experience the thrills of the Trinity River while he is here. He’s having fun getting to know the area and meeting new people, and is looking forward to his year of service in Trinity County.