My Time at WSCC

By Noah Steinberg, WSCC Intern

I’ve been volunteering with the Western Slope Conservation Center (WSCC) for 3 months now, and it’s truly been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had. I came to work with WSCC not only being new to Paonia, but new to Colorado as a whole, and WSCC really made me feel welcome. My first step into conservation work was actually doing a River Watch sampling, which helped cement my interest in conservation work. From then on it’s been great here. Everyone here has been so kind and understanding with getting me acclimated to the area, and everyone here in Paonia are also so kind. 

During my time at WSCC I did a lot of smaller things, but the bigger thing I’ll be known for is my research and blog post on fireflies. Researching for that was one of the most fun things I’ve done anywhere. I’ve always been interested in animals of any kind so being able to apply that to a work setting was wonderful. 

Even doing smaller things like hanging up fliers or checking in on the Paonia River Park never really felt like work. For most of my life people have always told me that “if your job is what you love you’ll never work a day in your life” and I feel like my time here has really let me understand that statement. 

Even now it’s hard to believe I’ve already been here for 3 months, it still feels like I only just arrived here. Despite not knowing what my future holds I’m ever so lucky to have spent my present here, making memories. I like to think of my time as phases on a clock, and I’m also kind of a huge nerd, and my time being up here totally reminded me of a quote from Doctor Who. “And now it’s time for one last bow like all your other selves. Eleven’s hour is over now, the clock is striking twelve’s.” It helps remind me that even if my time here is up, the future still holds many adventures in the next hour. So from the bottom of my heart I just want to say, Thank You to everyone here.