I can’t believe the time has come for me to write my final Jawbone Journal. Earlier this week, I took my last trip as a staff member to Jawbone Flats, and today is my last day as the Executive Director of Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center.  Tomorrow, I will begin a new chapter as the Executive Director of the Wetlands Conservancy.

I was hired to work for what was then Friends of Opal Creek in March of 2005.  I had no idea this job, this place, and these people would define the next 15 years of my life. What an incredible gift I had been given.  As anyone who has worked for Opal Creek and at Jawbone Flats will tell you, it’s not all romantic walks in the woods.  There is a lot of hard work that needs to be done, and for the past 15 years I have been amazed at the dedication and commitment shown by our staff, board, and community, year after year. The days are long in Jawbone, and some are particularly tough, but as I look back all I am left with is the years of magical memories deep in the ancient forest.

I have said it for years: once an Opal Creeker, always an Opal Creeker.  And for me it is no different.  Jawbone Flats and Opal Creek will always live deep inside me.  I will always be able to close my eyes and explore the corners of the old mining town that I have come to know so well.  If I sit still, I can conjure up the smell of the forest after it rains, or feel the sun on my face at Sacred Rock; I can hear the tree frogs singing in the spring and the owls calling to each other late on a cold winter night.

Normally this time of year, Jawbone Flats, is filled with the sounds of children exploring, learning and growing.  Due to the current coronavirus situation, Jawbone Flats is quiet today, and the staff are working diligently at what it will take to host students and guests in the forest again. I know that the crew will be ready to host you as soon as it is safe to do so.

I look forward to joining the legions of Opal Creek supporters, and can’t wait to see you all at Opal Creek fundraisers and events!  To the board and staff members who I have had the pleasure to work with over the past 15 years, thank you.  I have learned something from each of you, and have valued the time we spent working together on behalf of this amazing place and organization.  We accomplished so much together! We built bridges (literally), we rose to meet the challenges of running a dynamic education program in the wilderness, and we ensured that future generations will be able to have life-changing experiences in the forest.

Just as succession is a natural part of forest ecology, so it is a healthy part of organizational development. I have so much faith in the current staff and board, and I am so excited to see what Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center does next.  I look forward to a time we can all gather in the forest again, on a warm summer evening, and watch the nighthawks hunt at dusk.

With immense gratitude,

Katie