By Karl Meyer
On January 6th, 2020, back before we’d ever heard of doomscrolling, murder hornets and virtual happy hours, back when Zoom was something you only had to suffer through on holidays, back even before the first round of quarantines and shutdown orders… I was hired as the Conservation Projects Manager here at Palouse Land Trust.
While that might feel like it was a lifetime ago, professionally it’s been just about enough time for me to get my sea legs under me. And so, after some reflection, I wanted to share five lessons that I’ve learned during my first year working for this incredible organization.
1. When you work for a small nonprofit, you get to wear a lot of hats
Me (in my PLT hat) and my son Remy at permanently conserved Rabbit Hills Preserve.
I’m speaking figuratively of course - my PLT baseball cap has been pretty much glued to my head since I started here, so I’m kind of a one hat man in the literal sense.
Here at PLT we often refer to our team as “small but mighty”. With only three of us on staff, we each regularly get to do work that falls outside of our already lengthy job descriptions. A small sampling of the work I had no idea I’d be learning to do during my first year here includes:
Video editing
Plant identification
Drafting legal documents (this is actually a big part of my job description, but not something I ever thought that I’d be doing!)
Graphic design work
Horseback riding (okay I already kind of knew how to do this, but I got to do it for work!)
Reading and writing property legal descriptions
And much more. While parts of this job can be tedious (see drafting legal documents above) this job is ANYTHING BUT boring.
2. The people who serve on our Board of Directors are amazing
I had never really interacted with a Board of Directors before I started this job, so for those of you reading this who might be unfamiliar with the role that they play in our organization, let me try to explain.
Our Board of Directors is a group of 13 conservation-minded individuals with remarkably varied backgrounds, skillsets, and connections to our community. These people VOLUNTEER their extremely valuable time to make sure that PLT runs as efficiently as possible, while best serving the needs of our service area. Pretty cool right?
I have learned so much from our board members over this last year, and they have been so supportive of me while I’ve been learning the ropes of this complicated position. I just think that they deserve a big shout out - I can’t speak for BODs everywhere, but ours is AWESOME!
3. The landowners that we work with are inspiring
I’m a nerd. When I got hired I really thought that my favorite part of this job was going to be utilizing my GIS skills and making maps of the various properties that we work with. And while I do really enjoy doing that, I’ve learned that by far the best part of this job is zooming all the way in to those properties (by like, actually going there) and meeting the people who own and love the land.
Zoe Cooley on the porch of “the old stone house” where she and Jim raised their children in the early days on their property.
It’s such a privilege getting to hear firsthand the stories behind the lands that these incredible people have worked so hard to protect. Respect for the land transcends social and political boundaries, and is the trait that all of the landowners we work with share. Over the last year these people have invited me onto their lands for cups of tea, for breakfasts, for hikes to scenic vistas or on bumpy truck rides or to get out of the heat on shady back porches - but always for inspiring conversation that makes me want to do my best in my job every single day.
4. The work isn’t always easy
I graduated from the University of Idaho with my bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Conservation this last spring at the innocent young age of 33. In many ways that was the hardest thing I ever did (not because subject matter was particularly challenging, more because higher education and ADHD are strange bedfellows). That said, I’m learning that joining the grown-up workforce presents a whole new set of challenges, trading exams and paper deadlines for a to-do list that literally never ends. I’m looking at my project management dashboard right now and there are currently 24 open projects that I’m working on - no end of the semester in sight! And sometimes really exciting projects fall through for one reason or another and it stinks. But it’s just part of the job.
These aren’t challenges unique to my position by any means, but this is definitely something that I’ve learned over my first year of working with PLT so I’m putting it on the list and you can’t stop me!
5. I love my job
I think this is probably obvious based on the rest of this blog post, but it can’t really be overstated. My job is challenging, varied, and interesting. I get to spend time outdoors visiting breathtaking places. I get to spend time indoors doing nerdy things like making maps and spreadsheets. The office is a ten-minute walk from my front door. My work leaves me fulfilled knowing that I’m doing my part to protect the special places of the Palouse and North-Central Idaho. And, most importantly, I get to work with amazing people every single day - which, I already mentioned our Board of Directors and our landowners, but there are a couple of other groups I should probably mention that contribute to my love for my job:
The land trust community is wonderful. I can pick up the phone at any time and call one of my counterparts at pretty much any other land trust for help, insight, and a great chat. There’s something really special about working in a field where we all share the same goal and aren’t in competition with one another.
Jaime and Lovina are THE BEST coworkers I could have ever hoped for. Over the last year they’ve become my good friends, and coming to work feels like coming to another home. Plus, they’re both so good at their jobs it really pushes me to do my very best.
2020 was a weird year to be working anywhere, and I’m honestly super lucky to have been hired before the whole world shut down. But despite all the weirdness that’s happened over the last year, despite all the Zoom meetings and social distancing measures and political madness, I’ve managed to have a pretty great year due in large part to my first year working for Palouse Land Trust - and I truly look forward to many more!
PLT Staff testing out our company drone "Goose" at Rabbit Hills Preserve.