Sienna Fitzpatrick

Email: sienna.ivstreamteam@gmail.com
Organization: Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District
Serves: Illinois Valley Watershed (Josephine County)

Meet Sienna Fitzpatrick:

Originally from Massachusetts, Sienna recently graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a BA in Environmental Policy. While living in Chicago, she worked and learned alongside diverse communities which shaped her interest in public service with an emphasis on building capacity and supporting sustainability. Sienna is looking forward to living in a rural Oregon community, and hopes to learn about the natural history of the region and be an active community member during her RARE experience.

Community and Organization:

The Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District is one of 45 such districts in a statewide program under the Oregon Department of Agriculture. It offers technical and financial assistance to citizens, landowners, and other organizations for efforts to restore, conserve, and enhance the natural resources of the Illinois River and watershed. The Illinois River Watershed drains part of the Northern Californian Klamath Mountains and Southwestern Oregon’s Rouge Mountains, running 56 miles before emptying into the Rougue River. The City of Cave Junction (1,875) sits at the confluence of the East and West forks of the Illinois River.

Project:

The RARE participant, Sienna Fitzpatrick, will serve as Volunteer Coordinator for both the Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District and the Illinois Valley Watershed Council. Sienna will establish a volunteer program framework, recruit volunteers, engage volunteers in outreach and service projects, create a volunteer management and sustainability plan, and communicate with the community via web and other methods. She will collaborate with community and partner organizations, plan and facilitate projects and events, and document and evaluate volunteer program components. As the Volunteer Coordinator, Sienna will work in an office and the outdoors, gaining valuable experience in conservation and community engagement.