Jason Smith,
New TCRCD Employee
Jason Smith has joined the District as its new fiscal manager. He came aboard in April after three and a half years as fiscal officer with the Human Response Network and we are glad to have him. Jason has his degree in accounting from Heald Business College and has racked up more than 11 years of accounting experience since graduating. He brings a strong background in lumber accounting and in non-profit organization accounting, and is capably tracking the many collaborative projects the District is involved with.
Jason, who grew up in Santa Rosa, moved to Trinity County six years ago with his wife Christi, daughters Kaila and Ashley, and son Tanner. The couple has been married 13 years. It was after visiting Christy’s mother in Weaverville and discovering the quality of life here that the family decided to relocate. “It’s a great place to raise a family,” he explained.
The new fiscal manager is applying talents he enjoys using. “I was always great with numbers in school and decided to go into a field where I could use it.” He’s glad he made the choice years ago to get his degree in accounting. “I had just got married and had a baby and decided to go back to school,” Jason explained. “I had to work graveyard shift for a year-and-a half until I graduated, unloading and loading trucks for Wal-Mart. It wasn’t easy at times,” he said, but definitely worth it. “If you’re somebody who wants to understand and learn and really see how a business is doing, you really look at the financials and that will give you the picture of how that business is doing.”
Jason likes to spend as much time as possible with his family. He coaches soccer; baseball and basketball for his children, who are also all involved in swimming, and he tries whenever possible to be present for their activities. Other pursuits include hiking and going to the river or Trinity Lake, and occasionally some golf when time permits.
He’s glad to be working with the District. “I like what they do for the community and Trinity County, helping conserve the resources we have,” he said. “It’s such a beautiful place. I think it’s great what we’re doing with the Weaverville Community Forest. It’s helping Trinity County and everyone here. We need to reduce the fuels there and give the other trees a chance to grow. Hopefully, we’ll do more of that in the future.”
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District Manager's Corner
by Pat Frost
The theme for the Trinity County Fair this year is, “We’ve Got a Good Thing Growing.” I look at that short sentence and this issue of the Conservation Almanac and I see a lot of good things growing, too. What I see and what gives my heart a lift in Trinity County are our children and young adults. I see them growing and making great contributions that support the goals of the RCD.
This was our third year to host Summer Day Camp in Weaverville. By all accounts, it was the best year we’ve had. The camp’s success was linked to six young adults – our four camp counselors and the camp leaders, Russ Spangler and Christy Wagner. Russ and Christy are with the AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Program and work at the RCD. They are examples of the highly motivated and professional individuals recruited by the Watershed Stewards Program. Their energy blended well with the enthusiasm of Alin Lancaster, Thomas Geanakos, Hannah Hammett and Ashley Croom, our counselors. We had over 200 campers during the 4 weeks and the photo-essay shows some of camp’s highlights. I am sure that Russ, who is leaving us to continue his university studies, grew as a young professional from his year of service in Trinity County.
Katie Tenneson underscores how a local high school student can contribute to local conservation at the same time that she grows academically and professionally. In this issue you can learn more about Katie’s summer internship with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Weaverville, and how she landed this job. If you are a high school student in Trinity County you can learn more about the California Association of Resource Conservation District’s 2007 Speak-off by contacting our office at 623-6004 or by visiting our website.
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2007 Salmon Fest October 13
Save the Date! Saturday, October 13 is the date of the 2007 Salmon Festival.
Visitors can expect a fun-filled celebration featuring an array of activities, vendors, games, and music at this popular Trinity County event. Great food and a demonstration of cider-pressing are just some of the things to savor. The location will again be the meadow on Main Street in Weaverville. Sponsoring organizations include the Trinity Arts Council, the Weaverville Chamber of Commerce and the Trinity County Resource Conservation District. Put it on your calendar now and plan to be there!
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