0299-GCG-FoothillsConservancy ESG24-FINALb (1) - Flipbook - Page 32
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
In the summer, monitoring can be a particularly
dif昀椀cult job of battling through thick brush, dense
thorns, and sweltering heat spread out across
frequently arduous mountain terrain. Nonetheless,
it must be done. This monitoring process is crucial
because it not only allows FCNC to recognize and
document potential threats to properties but also
allows future visitors to look back and understand how
the landscape may have changed over time.
Going into such a role without much of an idea of
what was involved was a very daunting task, but,
in hindsight, I’m glad I followed through. It is with
complete con昀椀dence that I can say my time as a
stewardship intern with FCNC has been the most eyeopening employment opportunity I have ever been
lucky enough to experience.
I have had the opportunity to meet so many kind and
helpful people and visit dozens of incredibly beautiful
conservation sites that I otherwise never would have
been able to see. I have faced and overcome new and
exciting challenges I never thought I would encounter
and came out of the position with more con昀椀dence as
a result of having done so. Before this position, I never
thought of myself as the kind of person who could
work outdoors; now it’s dif昀椀cult to imagine working
anywhere else. My pool of potential career choices
has been expanded into so many new places I would
never have previously considered, and I’m excited to
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see the places my experience with FCNC will take me
in the future.
Additionally, in all my monitoring visits, I’ve seen how
stewardship and conservation apply to a diverse
range of landscapes. FCNC protects so much more
than just empty forests. I have visited working farms
and ranches all over their eight-county service area
and have been lucky enough to meet many of the
landowners who trust FCNC with the permanent
preservation of the property they hold dear. Sites like
Oak Hill Community Park and Forest and Possum Rock
River Access enrich communities and give the public
not only valuable green spaces but also a 昀椀rsthand
view into the important work being done by this
nonpro昀椀t land trust.
Moving forward, I hope to be able to support Foothills
Conservancy of North Carolina in as many ways as
I can, and I look forward to learning more about the
world of nonpro昀椀t work as a career path. I came into
FCNC as an inexperienced college student unsure of
my future aspirations, but I’m proud to say that my
summer sojourns into the wild places from FCNC’s
headquarters in Morganton have left me with a clearer
idea of who I am than I have ever had before. The
experiences I’ve had and the memories I’ve made with
the stewardship team are ones I will never forget, and
I’m immensely grateful.
