Imagining and practicing land stewardship and ecological restoration in local watersheds is the purpose of the Borderlands Earth Care Youth Institute (BECY). “Being in BECY has made me more aware of a lot that is going on in my hometown, and I want more kids here to learn these things,” says BECY member Jodie Quiroga.
Year two of the paid summer internship for Patagonia Union High Students starts this month and is organized by Patagonia’s very own Borderlands Restoration. Thanks to the community’s outpouring of support, the program will include more kids this year. Last year’s returning members, like Jodie, will qualify to mentor the new class.
“BECY is something great for kids to take part in. It is never boring, and there is something new every day,” shares Carlos Mingura, who will also return as a mentor this summer. The students work on a variety of projects during the six-week program and learn team building and leadership skills while having fun and making money.
Returning BECY youth Johnny Montanez says, “We get to meet all these awesome people who are important in the world.” Students will work on a native fish and frog pond restoration project, build structures to slow water and stabilize the waterways at the Babocomari Ranch, nurture seeds into plants in Borderlands Restoration’s native plant nursery, learn rangeland monitoring from local ranchers Dean Fish and Richard Collins, work on a complete ecological restoration project in a major tributary of Sonoita Creek, monitor the health of hummingbirds with the Hummingbird Monitoring Network, create a watershed living laboratory outdoor classroom at Patagonia Union High School, harvest runoff in the center of Patagonia, hike to the top of the watershed—Red Mountain—and tour organic farms, including Walking J Farms and Avalon Gardens.
The program supports an educational approach to restoration. Project supporter Gary Nabhan points out that the project “isn’t just about sweat equity, but mind and heart too.” Included in the workday is a one-hour discussion over a shared meal of fresh local food. The discussion will allow youth interns to reflect on the work they have done and link to land stewardship practices and their family’s own cultural or religious traditions.
BECY’s fourth returning member, Felix Wharton, said, “I have had great success in obtaining scholarships and am grateful for my experience.” Felix received a $5,000 scholarship from Friends of Madera Canyon and the prestigious Mary Bowman Scholarship. Felix attributes a lot of this success to the letters of recommendation he received from connections made while being involved with BECY. Johnny Montanez and Jodie Quiroga received local scholarships from the Patagonia Woman’s Club. Congratulations team!
The program is funded though donations from local individuals and organizations. A tax-deductible contribution of $1,500 sponsors one youth internship. To make a donation, contact Laurie Monti at 678-2381 or send a donation to Garden Inc. PO Box 40743, Tucson AZ 85717. To learn more about the institute, visit BorderlandsRestoration.org. Look for the BECY page under “Projects.”