I can honestly say that being a part of Friends of the Forest Preserves has prepared me for the “real world”. I have learned so many wonderful skills and gained a ton of knowledge. I have been fortunate enough to participate in a total of three Friends programs: the Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps, Forest Preserve Leadership Corps, and the Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps. From meeting new people, to gaining all the experience and certifications, down to the laughter I get on lunch breaks with my crew, I’ve loved every minute.
Chicago Conservation Leadership Corps
I started working for Friends of the Forest Preserves when I was just 14 years old. I was just entering high school. I met Alice and Benjamin from another organization I participated in. The organization was “Fishin’ Buddies”. John Kidd introduced us and I’ve been with Friends ever since. I had little to no knowledge of the forest preserves. I had no clue that there were so many different species of trees and plants. I started on the summer internship program and met some wonderful teens, all from different areas. I even met some who lived fairly close to me, whom I would’ve never thought to speak to, if it wasn’t for Friends. We did a lot of work in the forest preserves using hand tools. This was the crew in which I first learned about invasive species.
Forest Preserve Leadership Corps
From the summer internship program, I moved up the ladder to the Forest Preserve Leadership Corps (FPLC). The FPLC is geared towards 18-20 years. It’s the step in between being a summer crew member (14-graduation from high school) and a crew leader (21+). I met my wonderful crew leader, Daiva Gylys. Daiva helped me gain a ton of certifications as well as intuitive knowledge she’d spread along the way. I had a lot of fun on this crew. We went out to high schools to teach about the forest preserves and inform students about our internship opportunities. We worked in the field of course. We even took mini field trips to the dunes and to the Nature Conservatory to do work for them both. Once, we even went to Oregon, Illinois to do work for a camping ground.
Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps
Finally, I landed my gig on the Calumet crew. This was a major transition for me. We used to spend some work days with the Calumet crew when we first got our chainsaw certification. I looked up to those guys. I loved working with them because they were what we called “Platinum Chaps”. They were the masters of power tools. Being on this crew, gave me all the knowledge about power tools I could ever ask for. I am now a Platinum Chap member as well. I learned to be even more responsible, accountable for my mistakes, and to work really hard while having fun. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew supervisor, Brenda Elmore, and assistant supervisor, Tyrone Murdo. They are the most loving and well-rounded people I know. I love the unlimited laughs we all share and the tremendous amount of work we get done.
Calumet Invasive Species Conservation Corps crew leader Brenda Elmore and crew member Deshawn Johnson spread native seeds at Wentworth Prarie.
By: Deshawn Johnson
Deshawn is 21 years old and studying Computer Engineering at DeVry University. After he graduates, he plans to get a solid background in the construction field and then combine his engineering degree with development. He hopes to work in green infrastructure all over the world one day.