SNRAS student uses spring break for volunteer experience

SNRAS student Shannon Pearce pulls weeds in Utah over spring break.

What enticed SNRAS student Shannon Pearce to finally take a trip during spring break was not beaches touting fun and sun. Pearce, a married mother of three, spent her last spring break as an undergraduate the alternative way – volunteering with Plateau Restoration, a nonprofit agency in Moab, Utah.

Pearce, who works in the Wood Center’s student orientation office, overheard people from the UAF LIVE (Leadership, Involvement, Volunteer Experience) program talking about the alternative spring break trip and her ears perked up. “When I heard it was a conservation project I wanted to go,” Pearce, a natural resources student, said. “I thought it was the perfect opportunity.”

The theme of the trip was “alternative spring break; get your hands dirty,” which appealed to Pearce. She has worked past summer jobs at the Georgeson Botanical Garden and knows all about getting her hands dirty. Because of her family obligations Pearce hadn’t had the chance to do much field work as a student and thought the week-long expedition would help fill that void. Her husband Ian was completely understanding about the trip but it was harder for her children, Madyson, 11, Hudson, 9, and Navee, 7. Pearce kept in touch by calling home every day.

After a long flight with several layovers, Pearce and 12 other UAF students arrived in Moab to team up with three more colleges for the project. They tackled invasive species such as Russian thistle, re-planting native species. They also worked on trail restoration and hiked and pulled weeds in Arches National Park. Alongside the Colorado River, they painted cottonwood trees to protect them from beavers. In the Castle Valley they removed more invasive species and planted native species in a burn area.

On the one free day, the volunteers were treated to a rafting trip on the Colorado River.

Pearce was duly impressed with the scenery, especially the rich blue sky and the red rocks. “It was so beautiful it took me a few days not to think it was a picture,” she said.

Lasting impressions of the trip include camping out for a week. “The biggest thing I came away with was the area,” Pearce said. “I’ve never been to the Southwest. I’m used to green and snow. The desert ecology stuck with me.”

She described the journey as a fantastic experience. “I was happy to represent the university and learn leadership qualities and live with 12 people dealing with these projects. It was a good experience, period.”

Pearce will graduate from UAF soon and go on to graduate studies in ecological sciences and engineering at Purdue University. She hopes to eventually earn a doctorate and teach.