Timing is Everything!

Nancy Fernandez – Contributed photo

Join Climate Change Intern, Nancy Fernandez, for an evening of conversation about observation, citizen science and phenology when she presents “Timing is Everything! Plants’ Response to Climate Change and How You Can Help,” at 5:30 pm on February 24 in the community room at San Juan Center, Skagit Valley College.

The explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were some of America’s first scientific observers, making notes and sketches about plants and animals to share with Thomas Jefferson and an emerging nation. Today scientific observation continues to play a critical role in animal and plant species monitoring, particularly in the face of climate change and its impacts. National programs such as Project Budburst serve to connect citizen scientists with opportunities to help monitor changes in plants and animals in their communities.

Join us February 24th as we hear from Nancy Fernandez, a climate change intern with Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and San Juan Island National Historical Park, as she talks about Budburst at the Parks, an opportunity for the public to learn about tracking changes to 10 significant plants at each park. Fernandez, a 2015 graduate of the NPS Academy, delves into the history of plant phenology as seen through the eyes of Lewis and Clark, and gives practical information about how to get involved with Project Budburst locally and regionally.

Fernandez was born in Santa Cruz County, California. After moving various times throughout her childhood, she finally arrived in the Central Valley where she would later attend and graduate from CSU Stanislaus with a degree in Anthropology. Her interest in ancient knowledge, and the people and cultures shaped by it, were her first introduction to environmental stewardship. It wasn’t until her last year in college when she was given the opportunity through the Student Conservation Association (SCA) to fully immerse herself in community outreach, education, and youth leadership. Since her initial involvement with the SCA she finds more pleasure in hiking, photographing the outdoors, and philosophizing.

In summer 2015, she came to Lewis and Clark National Historical Park as part of the NPS Academy, a program within the SCA. As a Healthy Parks intern, Fernandez created a map and brochure of parks within Astoria as part of a bigger campaign to get the people of Clatsop County more active. She also got involved with the local Hispanic community allowing her to connect with the youth, a few of whom were able to attend summer camp for the first time. Her other projects included assistance with a new museum exhibit on the history of Chinese cannery workers of the Lower Columbia.

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and San Juan Island National Historical Park are two of the nation’s 410 sites celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016. In preparation for the next 100 years, servicewide goals include creating the next generation of stewards, engaging communities and building resiliency into natural and cultural landscapes.

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