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Dauphin Island Sea Lab Gets AmeriCorps Help

By Chad Petri Reporter

M30o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Dauphin Island Sea Lab Gets AmeriCorps Help

Published: Wed, March 26, 2008 - 4:26 am
Last Updated: Wed, March 26, 2008 - 5:15 am

Chad Petri

A dozen AmeriCorps volunteers pluck invasive plants from dunes. Shovels dig up weeds to ferret out an extensive root system.

“When you looked up when we first got here it was just a wall of tall weeds now you look out and you can see the bay and it's just beautiful,” says team leader Ashlee Dickinson. She's from Iowa but the team comes from across the country to do service projects and live out of a suitcase for 10 months.

“Travel around the country, learn lots of skills, it's also for people who just want to develop more confidence, more independence,” says Dickinson. “Also you get $6000 for school so it's right for someone who needs money for school or to pay off loans.” In addition to spending time outside, the also spend time inside in the classroom. That way, in the classroom, they learn about what they're going to be working on so they're not going there and picking plants haphazardly.

“We made sure we knew what weeds they were, we wanted to know their names so we could learn about them and we also tried to learn why we were doing it,” says Dickinson. Later they mix it up by painting buildings around campus. The sweat suits bear the tell-tale signs of hours spent painting. Volunteers learn to be flexible.

“I used to really try to look good at all times and try to always have my hair done and make up done, but now I believe you can make just as big of an impression on someone with a good attitude and a great smile as you can with a new outfit,” says team member Bonnie Holladay.

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