Getting to Know Sam Phillips

Written by Sam Phillips

I started my AmeriCorps service with Capitol Land Trust in October 2021, but my passion for environmental work started long before then.

For me, the main goal of this conservation work is to demonstrate that caring for the environment is not only necessary, but also fulfilling and wonderful. In school, I learned the science of why we need to care for our environment, but I really found my passion when I started to have my own experiences working in restoration. There’s a deep spiritual and emotional need for a healthy environment. It is well known that clean air free of pollutants is good for you, but the feeling of breathing that fresh air is much more compelling.

I can understand the need for biodiversity, but seeing a piece of land, vibrant and full of life is something that doesn’t need to be understood. You just feel how good and powerful it is. Those places are full of discovery and wonder, and just inspire a sense of calmness that moves me.

I love to show people that when they do restoration work, it benefits not only the environment, but that it also benefits them in a direct way. When you are taking part in positive change, using your body, discovering new things, and giving life to plants and animals, you feel good.

This work with Capitol Land Trust is exciting because we create opportunities for people to get outside, socialize, and feel good by caring for the place they live in. Every week, I coordinate restoration events (that’s why I’m called the ‘Restoration Coordinator’) that anyone in the community can join. They get the opportunity to experience new places, socialize safely outdoors in the era of COVID, and help care for their environment. That’s a beautiful thing.

In terms of my personal career and life goals, this AmeriCorps term with Capitol Land Trust is a gamechanger. I had felt pretty lost as to what I should do with my life, and just as much as to what I should do for a career. Working with Capitol Land Trust has shown me that I love to do this kind of healing work outside with people, and that there actually can be a career that supports me in doing that. It has given me new meaning and has also been an awesome networking opportunity.

About networking, we had 40 people join us at our event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year! A lot of different people came, from ages 3 to 73. I met so many new people and made a couple new friends. Our goal was to mulch the trail at Randall Preserve, which is open to the public, and to remove some unwanted plant species like Himalayan blackberry and St. John’s wort. I made sure to communicate that people should spend time appreciating the preserve and not be working too hard. I had hoped that people would feel inspired and want to come back.

Personally, my goals were to successfully organize and lead an event of that size, which was something new and out of my comfort zone. I’m happy to say that all the goals were accomplished and more. The volunteers were so enthusiastic and hard-working that we had to come up with more and more to do. In the end, everyone got cookies, good exercise, and sunshine, and Randall Preserve got a makeover.

It sounds silly to frame our work like this, but I tend to personify things and tell a human-centric story. The feeling of getting invasive plants off a piece of land feels a lot like clearing up your skin after you’ve had an acne breakout. It just glows. The ecosystem benefits, the birds and native plants are happy, and the trail is there so that people can experience how the land is just glowing.

A moment that stood out to me that day was when former secretary of state Ralph Munro drove up on a tractor, gave a speech, took two cookies, and left. That’s showbusiness. It reminded me that while the younger generations have the responsibility to use our youth, idealism, and energy for good, anyone can show up to inspire others. You never stop caring about what matters most to you.

On the other end of the spectrum, kids may not be able to understand why conservation is important, but they sure love to be outside! We had kids jumping up and down on the wood pile, using their small shovels to help, and just running around and playing. I tried to have some conversations with them, but they were not wanting to talk to strangers that day (I can look scary sometimes, so I get it). At any rate, I am so happy to be able to create those moments for the next generation. I remember a few outdoor school fieldtrips and days at our public parks as being very formative for me as a kid.

I have a lot to look forward to with the rest of my AmeriCorps term with Capitol Land Trust. Continuing these events, inspiring people, and healing our environment are just a few of the things I’m excited about.

We must acknowledge that the landscape has been changed a lot since European settlement, and it is still changing. Too often, that change occurs as destruction of the natural environment, either through development, the spread of invasive species, or some other thing. This work is creating a refuge for plants and animals that have been displaced by that change. It’s also a refuge for people, too. I depend on our beautiful forests and lands as places to heal. They are places to feel a connection with nature, and by extension, a connection with place and self. They are a place to feel quiet and calm, places of inspiration and beauty. They are an escape from our heavy-handed and divisive culture into a world of delicateness and interdependency.

One goal I have for the rest of my term is to work on making nature and conservation accessible to more people, because everyone deserves to be a part of this. Capitol Land Trust has done a wonderful job of taking steps to making accessible outdoor spaces, but there is more to do. This work in conservation heals and protects nature and also heals us, so I am very glad to be a part of it.

Capitol Land Trust has hosted nearly ten Washington Service Corps (WSC) members over the years, and many of them have continued to pursue careers in conservation. Washington Service Corps is a statewide program of the national AmeriCorps program. WSC connects service members and under-resourced communities throughout Washington state to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. Capitol Land Trust is proud to support this development of future environmental leaders!