2013 recruiting is coming soon!

Our 2012-13 members started on August 6, 2012 (all positions are filled).

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Our 2013-14 members will start on August 7, 2013 (term ends 6-30-2014).

We will start recruiting for the 2013-14 class after January 1, 2013. We are awaiting approval on the AmeriCorps website... we will be adding/updating service descriptions to this recruiting blog. You will need to complete an online application. If you have completed an application and want more info about positions- just call 865 546 3500 or email john.harris@knoxcac.org

AmeriCorps in GSMNP

CAC AmeriCorps members Kateri Tonyan, Drew Spear, and Zev Levine before a Fraser Fir seedling restoration experiment install at Clingman's Dome in GSMNP. Forester, Henryk Ostrowski is on the right- a NPS volunteer from Poland. What a view- I am jealous!

members @ City of Knoxville

http://www.cityofknoxville.org/Press_Releases/Content/2012/0820.asp

Recruiting UPDATE

The current vacancies are below:

Updated 7/9/12

1 position - Goodwill Industries of Knoxville: Recycling (Service Description)
2 positions - Knox County Solid Waste (Service Description)

- John Harris

Looking to fill these positions

To help condense the information for those of you just receiving your introductory e-mail I've listed the current vacancies below:

Updated 6/26/12

1 - Goodwill Industries of Knoxville: Recycling (Service Description)
2 - Knox County Solid Waste (Service Description)
3 - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Service Description)
1 - Little River Watershed Association (Service Description)

Total: 7

- John

New Position with CAC AmeriCorps

The City of Knoxville's Office of Neighborhoods will be hosting an AmeriCorps member for the 2012-2013 service year.  The position will work on emergency management projects, outreach/public relations for the Office of Neighborhoods.  This will be an excellent opportunity to get hands-on work in the community development field.  A full service description is below:

CoK Office of Neighborhoods (Service Description)

Always recruiting great people!

We are still recruiting for next year. We start on August 6, 2012.

Here's a pic of the 2007-8 Beardsley Farm Team... working hard!
Frank Callo, Beth Hilliard, Marie Boisvert, and Jeff Martin.

Frank's son Matt will be serving with us in 2012!

International Compost Awareness Week 2012

CAC AmeriCorps member Karina Costa teaching children about compost at CAC Beardsley Community Farm (http://beardsleyfarm.org).

Celebrate International Compost Awareness week by getting involved in your area.  A list of regional events can be found on the US Composting Council's website: http://compostingcouncil.org/get-involved/.

Stormwater Superhero blog

Don't Call it a Comeback.

Though Mr. Spork didn't win the America Recycles Day Video Contest, he still likes to come hang out from time to time. Here is is schmoozing it up with the CAC AmeriCorps and two rather famous bombshells.

Turkey Spork in the background won 'best centerpiece'.
He wasn't actually a centerpiece but Spork doesn't like to split hairs.

He wakes up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy.

This makes me want to send GaGa a Narwhal hat and Ke$ha a Jeff Fish.

http://stormdrainsuperhero.blogspot.com/2011/11/dont-call-it-comeback.html

Farragut Stormwater Matters

http://stormdrainsuperhero.blogspot.com/2011/12/outdoor-classrooms-101.html

Jason, Farragut's Stormwater Coordinator, made this cake for our Pollution Prevention training.  I ate the oil slick :)

AAW Chemistry

Adopt-A-Watershed Program turns West Valley Middle School students into Water Chemists

By: Chessa Eckels-Anderson, CAC AmeriCorps Water Quality Team Member

The Adopt-A-Watershed program is a county-wide initiative designed to teach high school and middle school students about preventing water pollution through hands on activities and outdoor service projects. As part of this program the 8th grade students at West Valley Middle School are in the process of building an outdoor classroom. With the support of the Water Quality Forum, the school already installed a grassy swale, a rain garden, and a pond that detain and filter storm water runoff from the surrounding hills before it drains to Ten Mile Creek. Their next goal is to install native wetland plants around the pond and build an amphitheater for outdoor learning.

One of their projects this semester was to learn about water chemistry. Not only does studying water chemistry align with state curriculum requirements, it is a real world technique used by water quality experts to assess stream health and report to the EPA. These students were challenged with testing water samples collected from five streams in Knox County for pH, nitrates, phosphates, and chlorine. Then they used the results to analyze the health of each stream and report their findings to classmates. Through their own analysis the students were able to correlate different types of land uses with the types of water pollution seen in the sample streams. The results also inspired the students to reflect on how people in their own neighborhoods contributed to or prevented water pollution. This project was a great way for the students to explore environmental chemistry as a career, practice their laboratory skills, and experience first hand the importance of doing their part to prevent water pollution.