With the March media contest, we asked for images that presented role models and inspirations, and we received an appealing variety of entries, including that by our winner, Jackie Spicer. Her entry, above, features Grace Palermo from Friends of Nevada Wilderness. As she explains, “Grace has been one of my role models since 2016 when I first volunteered with Friends of Nevada Wilderness during their Alternative Spring Break trip. It was my first experience exploring and serving our public lands. I continued volunteering over the years and last summer I joined her summer trail crew as an AmeriCorps in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.”
“This year, I started a new position as a Volunteer Program Specialist with the Great Basin Institute’s Research Associate Program. I work with the federal land agencies in Southern Nevada and our nonprofit partners (including Friends of Nevada Wilderness) to connect youth and underserved communities to our public lands through stewardship events like Alternative Breaks! Grace has taught me so much about how to be a selfless leader and always encourages me to believe in myself. I feel incredibly lucky to be working alongside my role model to provide more people with life changing experiences in the outdoors.”
The thing about role models and inspirations is that they beget future role models and inspirations. We have no doubt that Grace’s inspiration will result in Jackie becoming herself an inspiration to others. And the people and sights that influence our other submissions will likewise contribute to the positivity that GBI’s dedicated personnel carry forward.
‘We need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it.‘
‘Water, water, water….There is no shortage of water in the desert but exactly the right amount , a perfect ratio of water to rock, water to sand, insuring that wide free open, generous spacing among plants and animals, homes and towns and cities, which makes the arid West so different from any other part of the nation. There is no lack of water here unless you try to establish a city where no city should be.‘
Abbey’s love of the desert and wilderness is constantly with me in my work and when I spend my weekends ‘playing in the park’ so he and his books are an obvious role model for me.”
