The last few weeks have been all about the the California Invasive Weed Symposium. The symposium happens every year around the same time and brings together weed warriors from all over California. This is the second time I have participated in this event and the first time being apart of the planning committee.

The symposium went off without a hitch and I was able to meet like minded people, all concerned with the health of the California landscape. Our keynote speaker, Ken Moore, said something that struck a cord in me.

“A sense of place means connecting with a place so strongly that it becomes an integral part of you, and you of it. There is also another kind of place, which each of us has within ourselves. Some call it the heart, others the soul. In this place resides the essence of who we really are, and what really matters to each of us. If we are to succeed in our goal of saving biodiversity by restoring ecosystem health, I will discuss how it may hinge on us understanding that these two places are, in fact — one.”

I have been living in Monterey County for the last 7 years and I realized that this area has become apart of me, as much as my home in Fresno. I have been learning and working in habitat restoration for the last four years and not until Ken said those words was it clear to me how much I love this work. The land I work everyday at the BLM is my home and I take pride in it. I want it to thrive and become healthier every day.

I attended college in this area and took many field trips out to the BLM for ecology projects, applied statistics, GIS AND GPS projects. I grew up in this area. This past week Monterey County voted down a proposition that would have put a race track, hotels, homes and businesses in the middle of oak woodland. This horse track would have taken out thousands of old oak trees. Ken put something into words that I couldn’t. I feel a true connection to this land. Its more than a national monument, it’s like a friend. I work and play in this area almost everyday.

The BLM is a part of me and I feel lucky to be this dedicated to something I feel is important.