Claire

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hi I'm Claire, recently retired and excited to travel slowly enough to get to know each place, interact with people and participate in the culture and the landscape before moving on. I'm a lifelong learner with broad interests, and in my career in US national parks I worked in botany, ecological restoration, firefighting, wildlife conservation, search and rescue, safety/risk management and more. I value being active and productive, and I also enjoy occasional quiet time in awe of a natural landscape or reading a good book. I like to examine situations from diverse perspectives, looking for the possibilities for positive outcomes.

Some past projects that have given me a great feeling of satisfaction:
My work with two endangered animal species, California condors and Mojave desert tortoises, combined hard days outside tracking and monitoring them, and collaborating with other organizations, agencies and the public to protect them. I got my degree in wildlife management because I really enjoy observing animals in the field. From these two projects I realized that I also find great satisfaction in working with others to find and test solutions to complex problems such as overcoming barriers to the recovery of endangered species.
I lived in a tent on a mountain for several months, trapping migrating hawks as part of a long-term research study. It's not easy to look for hours through a slit at an empty sky with the cold wind blowing directly into your eyes, and I learned that I am motivated by the potential for a hawk to appear in the next moment, the potential of getting more data so we can better understand these splendid animals. I deeply value the friendships that came from living and working together in a small group in far-from-cushy conditions.
I did an 18-day backpack in India, followed by a homestay in a remote village. I helped my host family with harvesting grain, trying to carry it on my head and leading the oxen to crush it under their hooves. Together we weeded garden plots with sticks. It was a valuable lesson in using what's available, a stark contrast to my everyday consumer life in the US.

What truly makes me happy is actively participating and contributing while pushing my own comfort zone and learning something new every day. I love rock climbing and glacier travel because stretching my boundaries keeps me in the present moment, and both teamwork and individual effort are required to manage the risk wisely and succeed. The same is true of immersion in cultures other than my own; it's a profoundly rewarding experience of growth and learning. Those are exotic examples, but rest assured that I also find mindfulness in the rhythm of simple repetitive tasks and satisfaction from a job well done.

Interests

Languages

Gardening

Animals

Nature

Hiking

Outdoor activities

Languages spoken

English: Fluent
Spanish: Beginner

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Creative DIY projects

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Eco Projects

Charity Work

House & pet sitting

Life at a Farmstay

Languages

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Some knowledge of:  

Light gardening

Helping around the house

Animal Care

More details about your skills

Physical labor with hand tools, gardening/weeding, animal handling, risk assessment and occupational safety, backpacking, wildlife management and monitoring, cat training (positive reinforcement), natural resources program management, change leadership, creating an atmosphere of possibilities for everyone and maintaining my own positive attitude. I remain open-minded and curious in every situation.

Age

63

What else ...

I am especially interested in learning DIY skills, permaculture and how to live sustainably with low water use. All animals are awesome; cats and chickens are my favorite domestic animals.

Some more information

• 

  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  shellfish, some medicines

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  Special dietary requirements
  Allergic to shellfish. No alcohol. I ordinarily eat an almost vegetarian diet but am flexible and consider food culture to be part of cultural exchange/learning.