Josh McLean: The Beginnings of an Environmental Adventurer
ENVIRONMENT/LABOUR--Josh McLean: The Beginnings of an Environmental Adventurer
The following is a feature story from the Department of Environment and Labour to mark Environment Week, June 2-8.
When it comes to a summer job, Josh McLean had one that many students only dream about. Josh, of Fall River, Halifax Regional Municipality, went to work in faraway Costa Rica thanks to the Nova Scotia Youth Conservation Corps.
When he applied for the corps' Environmental Leadership Program in 2000, 21-year-old Josh was working toward his Bachelor of Science, focusing on environmental studies and biology, at Saint Mary's University in Halifax. The opportunity to participate in an environmental exchange program in tropical Costa Rica during his summer break was an exciting change of pace.
The exchange program is administered under the Youth Conservation Corps, which is part of the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour. The program is open to Nova Scotia residents between the ages of 20 and 24 and seeks to provide successful applicants with a cross-cultural experience combined with community environmental education.
Located in Central America -- north of Panama and south of Nicaragua -- Costa Rica is officially considered a developing country. After his application was approved, Josh received information on how to obtain his passport and the necessary vaccinations. He was also given an introduction-to-Spanish tape and a Costa Rican guide book. At his three-day orientation session he met the other Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and New Brunswick participants. They attended workshops aimed at helping them understand Costa Rican culture, health considerations and language barriers.
When he arrived in Costa Rica for the first eight weeks of the exchange Josh was paired up with Henry Vargas, a Costa Rican exchange participant.
"We lived with Costa Rican families in their communities," said Josh. "It took time to get used to their living conditions and it was hard to communicate at first, but we were lucky to experience their food, their music and their culture."
Josh and Henry worked in the mountain village of Los Olivos, a dairy-farming community of 19 families. The community also owns an eco-tourist lodge. Profits from the lodge are returned to the community to discourage farmers from cutting down rain forest trees to expand the dairy farms. Josh's main responsibility was to help community members build a bridge and a gazebo at the lodge.
For the last nine weeks of the exchange, Henry stayed with Josh and his family in Fall River. They worked for the Sackville Rivers Association installing digger logs to help restore the natural flow of the Sackville River and its fish habitat. They also cleaned up litter around the riverbanks.
Josh has since graduated from university and is currently employed for the summer in the Youth Conservation Corps office. He is looking forward to more environmental internships and hopes to travel to Chile in the fall where he wants to conduct a biodiversity study cataloguing different species on an island. His experience in Costa Rica has definitely whet his appetite for more cultural environmental adventures.
June 2-8 is Environment Week across Canada. This year's theme is The Environment -- It's In Your Hands.
For more information about the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour and the Youth Conservation Corps, call 902-424-4924 or visit the Web site at www.gov.ns.ca/enla/ess/ycc/. The Youth Conservation Corps has been helping young Nova Scotians become environmentally committed for 13 years.