Emma in the cedars along Idler’s Rest Creek at a recent property visit.
My name is Emma Sondker and I am a new member of the Palouse Land Trust. I am an AmeriCorps member serving at the Palouse Land Trust and Idaho Firewise. My official title is the Outreach and Community Engagement Assistant. I started serving near the end of March and am looking forward to all the events and projects PLT is working towards. I hope you will join us! I am very excited to have this opportunity to learn more about working in the conservation field and getting to work with the public.
Throughout my life, I have been very involved with the community through Girl Scouts and music. I was in Girl Scouts for 13 years and was often planning events and volunteering at Girl Scout camps. I loved being able to help others and giving them a great experience. In high school, I joined a youth symphony that performed for events, the public, and schools. I also helped mentor younger musicians.
Frequent outdoor actives, like hiking and camping, with my family grew my love for the outdoors. I was very interested in the wildlife and I would try to catch salamanders, even though I was terrible at it. My father’s work, a non-profit health organization, showed me the difference non-profits make in the community. He gave me tours of the health clinics and told me what the organization did and how it helped people.
I graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S degree in environmental science and a B.S in applied music performance. I am most passionate about conservation, wildlife, and habitat restoration. I am still trying to figure out exactly what career path I want, but I could not ask for a better organization to teach me about conservation. I am honored to be a part of AmeriCorps because of the support they give programs and organizations who help local communities. The Palouse is a beautiful landscape and I am thrilled to be educating the community on its importance and helping in its conservation.
Although I have only been at PLT for a short time, I have learned so much about the amazing people and the hard work that have made the conservation of Palouse land possible. I am proud to be serving the Palouse Land Trust because of the difference they are making for the community.