Eric Willadsen

Favorite thing you like about your work:
I most enjoy having the opportunity to connect citizens with conservation values in an urban setting.  The Land Trust of the Treasure Valley excels in connecting people to place through land conservation, recreation and habitat restoration, and I get to be the boots on the ground making this happen.  Boise has a long tradition of open space conservation, and I'm constantly humbled by the fact that I have an opportunity to continue this tradition through outreach, service learning and on-the-ground stewardship.  There is a tremendous amount of satisfaction in helping others care for their community; I get to witness the joy that refugees and students experience when they plant native shrubs they grew themselves, or seeing a mountain-biker use a new trail they helped build, or by inspiring collegiate students to pursue a career focused on solving place-based environmental issues.

Based on your own experience, what did you get out of your time at MOSS and why would you recommend it to someone else?
MOSS provided me the means to hone my capabilities to communicate complex-ecological issues and concepts to a wide-variety of people.  I don't work with students as much as I did at MOSS, but I was not surprised when my peer at the Land Trust said its best to communicate the issues we are dealing with as if you were speaking to a middle-school aged student - keep it simple and make sure anyone can understand the concept.  The communication skills I honed while teaching at MOSS have been indispensable in my efforts to connect the importance of caring for your environment and community to people across the social, cultural and political spectrum.