Melody Jones --Naturalist {NOS}
Melody Jones moved here with her three children from a small town on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Idaho. While working full time at a non-profit organization she commuted to Lewis Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho to attend classes. After her year commitment through Americorp Vista as a Program Coordinator for Nevada Outdoor School (NOS) she is going to continue her pursuit of a degree in Social Work to eventually become a counselor for terminally ill children and their families. She enjoys camping, hiking and cooking with her family. While working for NOS she hopes to teach the children in a fun and engaging way so that the children will pass on their enthusiasim for the place that she now calls home to their friends and future generations to come.

Jon Baker--Service Learning Program Coordinator {NOS}
Jonathan Fain Baker was born in Anniston, Alabama on January 10th, 1980. He grew up in the woods of Alabama with a mother who is a biology teacher where he developed a passion for the outdoors. Currently he is the Lovelock Cave Docent Program Coordinator for the Nevada Outdoor School Branch of Americorps. Jonathan is excited to learn about Lovelock and the surrounding area's history and sharing the knowledge with the people it most directly involves.

Rachel Jones - Naturalist {NOS}
Rachel grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, OH and Pittsburgh, PA.  In 1999, she moved to Somerville, MA to attend Tufts University and received a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies. For the last five years, she has lived in Oakland, CA where she worked with Cycles of Change, a non-profit, where she taught at-risk middle school students about bicycle safety and bicycle mechanics.  In the past two years, Rachel has spent time on the border of Arizona and Mexico, providing migrant support.  She enjoys bicycling, the desert, fixing things, being outside, cooking and playing the guitar.  Rachel is excited to be in northern Nevada and learn more about its environment and community.  She loves working with youth and is eager to start her work in the public schools, sharing hands-on science and environmental lessons with Kindergarten through Sixth graders.

Swan Parsons- Docent Program Coordinator for
Lovelock Cave and Water Canyon {NOS}
Swan was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She spent her formative years going to summer camp in the wilds of Wisconsin. This is where she gained her love of the outdoors. As a young woman, Swan was a member of the Youth Conservation Corp which was located in the Shawnee National Forest . As a college student Swan returned to southern Illinois where she received a bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in Psychology and Women's Studies. Swan has spent the last 20 years in Los Angeles where she pursued a career as a filmmaker and a performance artist. After perfecting the art of being a starving artist, Swan retired from life in the fast lane and relocated to Winnemucca, NV. She now works on bringing the exciting tales of Lovelock Cave and Water Canyon to life for the residents of rural Nevada.
Resume  and Workplan

Amanda Willams - Leave No Trace (LNT)
Rural Outreach Coordinator {NOS}
Amanda Williams is an AmeriCorps member with the Nevada Outdoor School. Amanda is a long time Winnemucca resident and has been involved in numerous community organizations throughout her life. She is passionate about community activism and has been a Red Cross Volunteer since 1999, is a Lieutenant Firefighter and EMT with the Grass Valley Volunteer Fire Department, and volunteers with the Pershing County Domestic Violence Intervention team. Growing up in Northern Nevada Amanda has spent time hiking, camping, hunting, fishing and four-wheel driving all over the state and is looking forward to sharing her love of rural Nevada with others while teaching Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly principles to other community members.

Kathy Swett is a volunteer for Humboldt Volunteer Hospice. She is the “Patient Field Rep.” and sees most patients every week to evaluate whether or not they have additional needs that have not been met.  She facilitates the grief group at Humboldt General Hospital twice a month.  She is 64 and has been with hospice for nearly four years since her husband died.  Volunteering has given her a new and rewarding purpose in life.  She enjoys camping, cooking and spending time with her eight children, but not all at once!

Lynne - Patient Quality Controller {Humboldt Volunteer Hospice}
Lynne is an AmeriCorps volunteer at Hospice.  She likes to spend time with her husband hiking and doing just about anything outdoors.  Lynne also loves to cook, and her favorite meal is fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Louisa Guest - GED Teaching Assistant {JOIN}
Louisa was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in the late 70's. She was first tricked into moving to Winnemucca in 1995, where she graduated from Lowry high school and started a family of her own. From there she moved back to Hawaii to attend University of Hawaii, where she just so happened to fall in love with public service. After moving back to Winnemucca in 2005 to take care of her mother, who is now in remission, she has clocked in countless volunteer hours for the Winnemucca food bank, soup kitchen, 1st way pregnancy center, Girl Scouts, churches and schools in the community. Louisa enjoys time with her family and friends. Being an AmeriCorps member comes naturally to Louisa. She enjoys working with people of diversity and believes that education is the key to get out of any situation--'KNOWLEDGE IS POWER'. She hopes to empower her students and inspire them to follow their dreams.