To take an active hand in the area’s preservation,
experience natural landscapes and the local culture of ACCOMPLISHMENTSCleared knapweed and tamarisk trees on public land Helped non-profit Plateau Restoration, Inc. earn grant money Built natural dams on private preservation land Learned about environmental, historical, social, and political issues in the area Studied ecology and geology of natural habitat, and helped diminish disruptive effects of residential development and foreign species invasion Saw the direct and immediate effects of our hard labor Hiked 10 miles in Worked together as a team, and collaborated with Learned that a lot can be accomplished by a small group of dedicated people Made great friends! FAVORITE MEMORIESClimbing and hiking
all day long in Devil’s Garden, and Dark Angel, and creative photography Natural beauty all around – surrounding hostel, at work sites, and of course in the parks Cooking and bonding together in evenings – especially cookouts Astounding “Never have I ever…” moments of honesty End-of-the-workday runs on the sand flats, then watching the sunsets with the LaSalle mountains in the background Staying up the entire last night – cooking mac-n-cheese, pancakes, rice crispy treats, and brownies AAA rescue – never give the cars keys, unattended, to Paul Finding Polygamy Porter in the supermarket Quirky staff at Lazy Lizard Hostel Horrendous caravanning Chili! (eating tortillas, making nachos, having too much food) Fly-swatting all over Gramma’s place Discussing Michael & Tamsin’s relationship status Bags-o-fun Taboo games Scott’s questionable closet Mud fights (into Shireen’s hair!) and face masks Dog treats Weak Dollar Store knives, two broken chairs, and one broken plate Awkward dance party ENTERTAINMENTTaboo, the animal game, “Never have I ever…”, listening to music and critiquing everyone’s mixes Day hike in Sunset viewing and
stargazing from the Canyonlands’ “ Running across and watching sunsets from petrified sand dunes (sand flats) Raft trip down Massage circles, hot tub Dance party in Gramma’s House Making walking sticks FAVORITE QUOTES“Look at Shireen building a dam in the water. She’s a beaver. …No, no, sweaty beaver!” -Dan the Man, at the creek on his property “FRUDA!” -Jeremy “Yeah! Gramma’s House!” -Jeremy, dance party “I have to twist it to get it up.” -Paul, describing deodorant in Taboo “We were all just sitting in the park having a circle jerk.” -Tamsin, we don’t know why “If we run out of gas, Stevenson can fuel our car.” -Paul “Oh G-d, Stevenson, right in my eye!” -Paul, with dirt thrown in his face “That’s what she said (huh huh huh).” -Stevenson, quick with the response “I have a big one of these…” -Susan’s brilliant Taboo clue for “bust” “Don’t bust the crust!” -Everyone, everywhere “You have to trim the garden, not kill it.” -Stevenson, regarding hair hygiene “Did I stutter?” -Stevenson, after encountering stares when he told the girls to take off their shirts “Did you say milk or Joan?” -Joan “(long pause) Ummm…milk.” -Sam, at “‘Weed’ had a very different meaning in the sixties…” -Pam, a local
explaining “Truckers: Do Not Be Fooled. 5% Gradients for 3 More Miles.” -Jeremy’s
spotting on drive to “I want to have Dan’s babies.” -Liana, speaking about Dan the Man “Never doubt that a small group of determined citizens can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Meade, as quoted on Plateau Restoration shirts “That’s bootleg.” “That’s
a seagull! We’re thousands of
miles from the ocean!” - PARTICIPANTSJeremy Chan Alanna Chang Dan Chang Courtney Darcy Steven “Stevenson” Davidson Samantha Durante Liana Esposito Amelia “Mealz (on Wheels, when she’s running)” Fisher Scott “Scotty” Grossman Susan “First Aid” Paul Shireen “Beaver” Taleghani Joan “June” Xu SITE LEADERSPaul “Needles” Bonanno and Mara “Herrrwitz” Horwitz Return to PENN's Alternate
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