MDS Volunteer Interactions

This blog was written by Madison Miller, a recent Marine and Environmental Science graduate.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have all gotten to know each other in the GC group, along with the MDS crew members and long-term volunteers. Everyone we have interacted with holds different roles. Larry is the project manager and is responsible for overseeing the construction at the volunteer center. He is the person that we can go to with any questions about the work that we are doing. At the same time, he is notorious for cracking jokes and making us laugh. Doug, Cody, and Jon are crew members who have also played a big part in helping us learn new skills, such as flooring, trim, and plumbing. Edith is the office manager who takes care of all of the paperwork and finances, while also making sure that everyone is following the safety protocols. We also have been very grateful to have two incredible cooks— Alice and Marilyn. Although every meal has been delicious, I would say that a group favorite is definitely the lasagna or chili. During our breaks throughout the day I often go into the kitchen for water and have gotten to know both of them in the process. Marilyn speaks fluent French, so I sometimes will practice French-speaking skills with her, which has been fun despite the fact that I am not fluent whatsoever.

We also have briefly met Jeff Koller and Matt Troyer-Miller, who are responsible for providing support and assessing work sites before any MDS volunteer work takes place. Jeff stated that since he is retiring, Matt will be taking over for his role of operations coordinator. I really appreciated Jeff’s talk with us about disasters and sustainability. He shared how disasters are more frequent and more intense than they used to be and that we are able to know this because we can measure the number and intensity of the events. He was also passionate about focusing on local sustainability. He explained that he buys his groceries from stores on the reservation, instead of going somewhere else where the groceries would be cheaper. Buying locally helps boost the economy within Red Lake Nation.