Perhaps the hardest thing I had to do this year was inform my weary team that they were to face yet another environmental project. The work just didn't seem important enough to warrant a six week detail, and we all left Charleston for Florida with heavy hearts and internal struggles as to why we had joined this program. When we arrived at the Everglades Youth Camp our opinions were changed after our orientation with Janice. There she laid out the reasons this work was so important, providing facts, statistics, but most importantly, her own personal interest in the removal of exotics from the Corbett Area. She showed us a photo of her daughter, Taryn and stated that her children were the reasons for the camp. Janice grew up in the "Old Florida" wilderness and was given in childhoeed a huge appreciation for the beauty around her. This appreciation grew deeper as she became a mother and saw the limits of freedom that had been placed on her children due to the depletion and development of her home state. She wanted her children to grom as she did, with plenty of space to roam and a bounty of natural beauty for them to surround themselves in. her own children are not the only ones to benefit, but hundreds more who come to the camp to see a part of how Florida once looked. The questions I had as to why we were here were answered in that orientation. By removing the exotic species of plants from the natural eco-system, we would be enabling more people to see the real Florida, the real inherent beauty of the state.

That was the first of many lessons Janice taught me. In the many chats we had, I was always left inspired by her wisdom. On such matters as family, teaching and leadership, she was a pillar of knowledge and advice. She taught me to be direct in life but to never lose compassion, to forge through the negative forces blocking my dreams and most importantly for me, the importance of family. In some ways, she reminded me of my own mother. One of my Mom's many cliche sayings was, "Circle the wagons." Back when the early pioneers were settling America, they would circle their wagons around the camp when they were sleeping to ward off attacks from Indians. In times when my family was facing a crisis, she would say this implying that it was time for my family to circle together and form a temporary wall around us, to shut out the outside world and focus on the family. In many ways Janice has done this with her family. She has fiven her children a place to frow slowly. She has not ostracized them from the outside world but has provided them with an environment in which they will be able to experience the kind of childhood she was given. One filled with wonder, freedom, learning and love. She also gave us that chance, a chance to escape our fast-paced lives, a chance to see through the eyes of a child once more and a chance to live simply again.