New to CK

Hi! I am Jeff, the newest member of Sun 3, having joined at the beginning of round four. I missed out of being in Crown King during round two, but I get to work with the Crown King Fire Department for the busy and warm summer season. I was originally an alternate for the fire management team and was a part of Sun 2 for the first two rounds. My first project was near Golden, CO working with Denver Mountain Parks (DMP) at Katherine Craig Park, helping to clean up the site and perform wildland fire fuel reduction work. I really enjoyed that project, as I got to work outside everyday in a scenic area and learned how to use a chainsaw to fell trees and turn logs into firewood.

The project included a lot of firsts for myself and others on the team including using the chainsaws, driving a skid loader, and feeding bison on a ranch operated by DMP. My team lived in an old Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) bunkhouse, built in the early 1940's. It had one large open room full of 70-year-old bunk beds that were first used by CCC members and now, most recently, by us. The close living quarters and secluded location allowed the team to get close and definitely bond.

Second round sent Sun 2 and me to New Orleans, LA (NOLA) to work with the local Habitat for Humanity  ReStore. However, before joining the rest of my team, I went with Sean to Colorado Springs, CO to learn wildland fire fighting from the El Paso County's Sheriff's Office wildland crew.

After a week and a half of the necessary training, I rejoined my team in NOLA. We lived in the Upper 9th Ward, an area still rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, in a Habitat for Humanity house that proved tight living for all eleven of us. The cramped quarters helped push us out into the city and we got to experience a truly unique part of America, by trying the cuisine, music, and overall culture that New Orleans is known for. At the ReStore, we collected donations and prepared them for sale along with other used building and home supplies. The work took us all over NOLA and brought into the store a variety of local residents that we got to learn from, helping us appreciate New Orleans even more.

For third round, shuffle round, I joined Lyndsay and Bobby in Flagstaff, AZ, working with the National Park Service at the Flagstaff area national monuments. It was exciting to get to know the new people of my shuffle team and we took full advantage of the hiking and camping of the area, including going to the Grand Canyon and the Sedona, AZ area.

Now that I am in Crown King, AZ, it is easy to see that there is a lot to appreciate here. It is great to know that an NCCC team can be so connected and involved with the local community. Often residents of the host town of a team do not even know the team is there, but in Crown King, everyone knows how important the Fire Department is to the town and how AmeriCorps NCCC teams in the past have contributed to everyone's safety. It is exciting to be a part of this community and see how we are making a difference. Leaving Sun 2 was certainly not easy, because of the connections that I had made, but Sun 3 is a great group and has been very welcoming. Crown King is yet another unique stop in my AmeriCorps adventure and with a lot to like, I look forward to whatever comes my way this summer.

Jeff Leininger, Squad Delta