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Some places are simply too big, too awe-inspiring, and too
beautiful to keep it to one's self.
That is exactly what Daryl Ratajczak, a wildlife biologist
for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), thought as he explored his new home within
the Santa Fe National Forest in northern New Mexico. Daryl and his family moved
to the Santa Fe area in December of 2015 when he accepted a position with the
USFS after having spent twenty years working with wildlife in the state of
Tennessee, the last five as Chief of Wildlife and Forestry for the Tennessee
Wildlife Resources Agency. Moving west was a choice he made to fulfill a
life-long dream of his to work in the Rockies and the move didn't disappoint.
"Everywhere I went I was blown away with the grandeur
of what lay before me. I simply couldn't keep it to myself," said Daryl
about his newly adopted home.
What Daryl did next was above and beyond what most visitors
to the forest would do. He picked up the phone and began making plans to share
his experiences.
One of the first persons he called was Robert Brewer, a
wildlife professor at Cleveland State Community College (CSCC) in rural East
Tennessee. He couldn't wait to tell his long-time friend about everything he
had encountered in his new home. It was so drastically different than anything
the two had seen in the Appalachian mountains of east Tennessee that he just had
to try to coax him out there.
Then it dawned on him. Why not make it a wildlife adventure
for Robert and all of his wildlife students at the small community college?
"I called up Robert and told him he simply had to
figure out a way to get his kids out here. They just had to see all the amazing
sites New Mexico had to offer. The written descriptions and pictures on my
blog, simply did not do this place justice." That is when Robert said the
magic words, "Let's do it!"
Over the next six months Robert struggled to find a way to
get his Wildlife Society class across the country without asking them to pay
for it out of their own pocket. Being from a small rural town thirty miles
north of Chattanooga, Tennessee, many of the kids were hard-pressed for money.
Their big break came in early spring when Robert received a grant through the CSCC's
Cultural Resources Department. That enabled Robert to secure airfare and ground
transportation for himself, another instructor, and fourteen wildlife and
forestry resource students, all of whom were members of the college's Wildlife
Society chapter.
As soon as he received news of the students good fortune
with the travel grant, that is when Daryl went to work. He put the idea down on
paper and named it the Student Wildlands Adventure Program (SWAP) and began
pounding the pavement seeking sponsorships for the kids to cover their lodging
and meals. He wanted the experience to be a positive life-changing event for
the kids and having the students worrying about how to pay for it simply wasn’t
going to cut it. So he just started telling people about the crazy idea he had
and never turned down any assistance.
"I couldn't believe all the people coming out of the
woodwork to help," he explained. "Folks found out about what we were
trying to do for the kids and they wanted to help in any way they could. Family
and friends were literally offering to buy the gear and food for the
kids."
In fact, as Daryl was checking out of Walmart with two
shopping carts full of sleeping bags and pillows, the gentleman in front of him
couldn't help but inquire why he was buying sixteen of each. Admittedly it was
an odd sight. After he explained what they were doing for the kids the man gave
Daryl a business card and offered to furnish pre-packaged deli sandwiches for
the kid’s lunches. A complete stranger provided two days’ worth of lunches.
"It was amazing. The generosity the community showed
truly blew me away. Even folks from my Facebook page who follow me because of
my blog, who I have never even met before, were offering to help."
Daryl was determined to solicit support and collect enough
donations to ensure the kids did not have to pay a dime for food or lodging,
even if it meant putting the students up at his house for half the trip.
Fortunately, the weather forecast called for a break in the rain and Daryl's
backyard would soon look like a squatter’s convention. Being wildlife
professionals in training, he figured the kids were well-adapted to sleeping
under the stars. And they were!
Upon their arrival at the ABQ Sunport in the early May, the
Tennessee students were treated to an adventure of a lifetime. Field trips were
arranged throughout Northern New Mexico and were designed to teach the students
about all the western ecosystems. The destinations ranged from arid
Pinyon-Juniper habitats in the Chama River Canyon to the sub-alpine spruce-fir
forests atop Sandia Crest, and everything in between, all of which were new to
the eastern visitors. And that wasn’t all the students were shown.
Numerous state and federal agencies as well as
non-government organizations chipped in their expertise and donated staff time
to lead field trips. Participating agencies and organizations included: the
U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New
Mexico Department of Game and Fish, and the New Mexico Wildlife Federation.
Their experience and field knowledge regarding wildlife allowed many of the
students to see elk, mule deer, and bighorn for the very first time. The
students even got to see trail camera pictures of a mountain lion that had
passed through the area a few days before their arrival. But it wasn't just a
wildlife adventure either.
Given the rich cultural history of Northern New Mexico, the
kids were also treated to a tour of Poshuiunge, a large ancestral Pueblo ruin outside
of Abiquiu. They were even given a talk by a member of the Jemez Pueblo
regarding the rich history of the Jemez people and their long-standing
relationship to the mountains. Undoubtedly, the CSCC's cultural department
would have been very pleased.
When all was said and done, the students and instructors had
a whirlwind 10-day adventure with many of them returning home with a renewed
faith in protecting our country’s natural and cultural resources. Given that this
was the whole point of the program, their leaders were also quite pleased.
“I can’t wait to start planning next year’s adventure,” said
Daryl. “Our hope is to swap destinations and send a crew of New Mexico students
to the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee next spring so we could teach them
about eastern ecosystems. Hmmm… now that I think of it, I guess you can say the
‘SWAP’ acronym is quite fitting.”
We can only hope the Student Wildlands Adventure Program
becomes an annual event.
