{"id":21666,"date":"2022-02-24T11:11:34","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T11:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=21666"},"modified":"2023-06-08T18:21:02","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T18:21:02","slug":"alumni-till-fertile-soil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/02\/24\/alumni-till-fertile-soil","title":{"rendered":"Alumni till fertile soil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"alumni<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From classmates at University of Washington Bothell to friends to coworkers, Environmental Studies alumni David Jackson \u201917 and Sara Rocero \u201917 have a number of things in common. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one, they were both raised to love the outdoors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI came from a family that had a deep appreciation for nature,\u201d said Jackson. \u201cMy parents always encouraged us kids to play in the yard, get fresh air and run free. It\u2019s a great parenting hack,\u201d he joked, \u201cbecause by the end of the day we were always exhausted.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rocero shares a similar love for nature and, in particular, for wildlife. \u201cOne of my favorite childhood memories was when my sister and I wrote former President Bill Clinton \u2014 who was in office at the time \u2014 to inform him that we were seeing deer in our neighborhood,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were worried that they were losing habitat and that soon there would be nowhere for them to go.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given their backgrounds and their major, it\u2019s no surprise Jackson and Rocero both ended up pursuing careers at the Snohomish Conservation District, a political subdivision of state government tasked with local implementation of conservation practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cParticipating in work that takes care of the land makes me feel good about coming to the office each day,\u201d Rocero said. \u201cIt\u2019s a truly fulfilling career.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wet jeans and muddy boots <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Jackson first came to UW Bothell, he hadn\u2019t planned on majoring in environmental science. Instead, he focused on getting a business degree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But on a rainy day in February 2014, he changed his mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was taking a class that required water sampling from the North Creek Wetland. I remember it was freezing and that the rest of the class had left because it was too cold,\u201d he said. \u201cAs I sat there continuing my measurements, I realized I was content and that there was nothing else I would rather be doing. When class finished that day, I went straight to the academic advising office. In soaked jeans and muddy boots, I told them I needed to change my major.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"David
David Jackson hosting a rain garden planting event in September 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His background in business has come in handy, though. Now the SCD\u2019s community conservation program manager, he identifies grant opportunities, does grant writing and then manages the distribution of funds as investments back into the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI definitely miss being out in the field all day, but I find joy in facilitating the work of extremely skilled, passionate and dedicated people who care a great deal about not just the environment or the county but specifically the work that they are doing,\u201d he said. \u201c足彩app哪个是正规的y make all of the hard, behind-the-scenes work worth it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Science into service <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Jackson, Rocero knew from the get-go that she wanted to major in Environmental Studies. What she didn\u2019t know was how she would go on to use her degree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sara
Sara Rocero at work for the Snohomish Conservation District<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor a while, I thought I would be a technical scientist. I liked the idea of conducting my own surveys and testing my own hypotheses,\u201d she said. \u201cBut as time went on, I realized that being so technical would be a barrier to the work I wanted to do. Most people don\u2019t have a science background, and what I care about more than generating information is making it accessible to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Rocero took a job at SCD, working as a member of the Veterans Conservation Corps Crew and of the outreach and communications team. \u201cWhat I love most about my job is the community-based work I get to do. Part of my job is to educate the public,\u201d she said. \u201cA lot of folks don\u2019t know there is a conservation district in their county, let alone that we offer free services.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Rocero would go door-to-door, informing people of the myriad ways the district can help to make their lives easier. For instance, if homeowners have issues with drainage, one of the district staff will come to their property and assist them for free. 足彩app哪个是正规的 staff also volunteer to weed people\u2019s yards and can provide free trees for those who live adjacent to waterways \u2014 thanks in part to Jackson\u2019s success getting grants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBasically, we\u2019re letting the community know that anything natural-resource related, we can help with in some way,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting seeds of knowledge <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to canvassing neighborhoods, Rocero and other staff host events (now often virtual) to speak with members of the community on a variety of topics, one of which is the importance of native plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost people don\u2019t know just how important they are,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving them along waterways is particularly important as they filter out pollutants in soil and water. 足彩app哪个是正规的y also shade the waterways and lower the temperature, which is especially needed in the summer. 足彩app哪个是正规的 rise in water temperature is becoming a huge issue for fish, especially salmon, so we want to cool those temperatures and create healthier, more oxygenated water.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In these talks, Rocero encourages attendees to incorporate more native plants into their gardens. \u201cLocal wildlife, insects, pollinators, mammals and birds have co-evolved with the native plants here for millions of years,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen we have fewer native plants, there are less food resources for wildlife to do what they need to do \u2014 live, reproduce and then die. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNative plants are the foundation to our entire food web. 足彩app哪个是正规的y are vital.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gardening tips 101 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With spring just around the corner, Jackson and Rocero are using their expertise to provide local gardeners with additional tips, encouragements and things they can start doing now \u2014 such as collecting rainwater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

足彩app哪个是正规的y know stormwater is the number one source of pollution in the Puget Sound area. \u201cWhen it rains,\u201d Jackson said, \u201cit moves down the roads and picks up all of the pollution from our cars and takes it into Puget Sound. By harvesting the rainwater, we are able to mitigate that runoff and instead infiltrate it into our soil. Plus, it saves people money on their water bill because they won\u2019t have to use their hoses and tap into city water. It\u2019s a win-win.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those looking to harvest rainwater, Jackson said to contact their local conservation district as most will provide barrels at no cost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackson and Rocero also recommend gardeners start planting now and not wait until the spring or summer. Rocero explained that while May to August is the most popular timeframe for planting because the weather is nice, it is actually the worst time to start a garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s much better to plant from October to April, which is the complete opposite of what most people do,\u201d she said. \u201cIn winter months, there is an abundance of rain and thus of water. Your plants have double the success rate if planted in fall or winter than they do if planted in spring or summer.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackson also emphasized the importance of using woodchip mulch. \u201cPro tip: If you remove a weed and put down the woodchip mulch, it will prevent the weed from growing back as quickly,\u201d he said. \u201cUse it with other plants, too. It keeps in moisture, making watering more efficient, and it keeps the soil temperature down. It slowly degrades and puts nutrients back into the ground.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lives in bloom <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both Environmental Studies<\/a> alumni attribute their successes, in part, to UW Bothell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t have gone to a better University to learn about environmental science. I mean, the campus itself is 50% wetland, which makes field work extremely accessible,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cAlso, the campus\u2019 green infrastructure is just phenomenal. If environmental science is your area of interest, there is no better place to study it than UW Bothell.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rocero echoed his sentiments, saying that \u201cthe professors were just amazing. 足彩app哪个是正规的y went above and beyond to help me and all of my classmates. This place will always have a special place in my heart.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Environmental Studies alumni David Jackson ’17 and Sara Rocero ’17 are using their degrees for the greater good of the environment while working at the Snohomish Conservation District. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[209,202,200],"tags":[],"school":[419,421],"class_list":["post-21666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-news","category-profiles","school-school-of-ias","school-school-of-stem"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Contact Us","email":"test@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-1234","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nAlumni till fertile soil - 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