#aceinspires

[lil-birch]

001 - Is this really happening?

Honestly, I mean I’ve lived within the same 30-mile-wide section of Ohio for the last 22 years... and now I’m moving to Arizona? It has been over a month and I’m still taken aback by walking down my driveway because, well, MOUNTAINS. Or looking out of the front window because MOUNTAINS. PLURAL. Humphreys and Agassiz and Fremont, oh my! After lengthy discussions about deserts and sand and pokey things, these pine-covered mountains are a dream within a dream.

But enough about lush topography. I’m Keni, I’ve started a new conservation adventure in the Southwest, and I just need to start writing. As a certifiable BA in English and Communication Arts, I am also certifiably burnt out on writing. Thinking back to my two semesters of senior research gives me whiplash from the sheer anxiety about why I neeeeeeeed to write. I have to have consistency in writing to improve my skills... and also relearn how to love the words, trust the words, not overedit the words. Sweet reclamation!

More than anything, I’m eager to lovingly devote time to my creative skills, rather than feel as if my creative skills’ worth is determined by a grade or social acceptance. School is out forever, if I so choose (!!!!). By all means, if you don’t want to read this blog, dear reader, you are free to stop at any point and I personally do not give one single h*ck. That’s the beauty of freedom! woohoo!!!

SoooooOoo to give some insight on my current status, through my internship/job (in this situation, they are interchangable) I spend eight days at my specific work site. The amount of time spent at a project is referred to as a “hitch” (see also: “going out on hitch”). We’re out doing trail work + maintenence, installing fencing, restoring habitats and battling back non-native species, or a myriad of other tasks specific to the needs of the site. Thus far, I’ve decided that I really love restoration work, mainly because of the core concept of promoting biodiversity within habitats. Monoculture sucks for the ecology around it, whether that’s corn or kochia, and jacks up the soil and makes it super hard for the animal, vegetal, and mineral life to flourish. Worst offenders in my heart: thistle and tamarisk. Ugghhhhhgghgggghhhh. Stop ruining it for everything ELSE trying to grow, ok??

Restoration rant over. At this current moment, I’ve got a few different projects that I’m working on/with others and they’re pretty rad; starting a comprehensive composting system in housing, the beginnings of an ACE literary journal with contributions from corps members, design and branding work to help achieve one of my closest friend’s dreams, and of course, this blog, to name a few. The balance that I’ve been seeking from life for what seems like eons is finally starting to settle in. There’s so many new opportunities to be grateful for, despite any wonky kerfuffles that occur along the way.

My goal for structuring this blog will be individual vignettes based on my experiences at each site I’ve served. Expect cool history, fun wildlife facts, and a lot of attempts to start the dialogue on why conservation is important. And y’know, start them NOW, so we don’t have to wait any longer to stir movement towards at LEAST saving our local ecologies. But did you know that pronghorn and Welsh corgis have the same butts? #fact

There will be some extra posts hither and yon. I’m definitely doing an ecocritical analysis of Princess Mononoke soon, maybe some creative writing (strong, strong maybe), maybe some sketches and quotes and things of that nature. But for now, I’m leaving off with a defining quote for this fresh phase of my existence that I heard on the second Simone dé Beauvoir episode of Philosophize This!, my favorite podcast:

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold! Service was joy.” — Rabindranath Tagore

[nconey]

More rockwork w/ @mary_aland #aceinspires #drystack (at Gila Wilderness)

[jennibearbeauty]

Today’s #eotd is my ACE inspired shadow from @beautonomyofficial I used the shade Sevelina lid to crease and K-Pop! on my lid topped with Rosado to add shimmer! On the bottom is Snow in the inner corner to the half mark and K-Pop! from the half line to the outer corner! #aceinspired #adventuresinwonderland #ace #eoljjang #ulzzang #uljjang #selca #selfie #selfstagtam #셀카 #makeupstagram #beautystagram #makeup #beauty #화장품 #화장스타그램 #메이크업 #코덕 #jennibear_beauty #제니메컵 #motd #beautyblog #beautyblogger #뷰티블로그 #뷰티블로거 https://www.instagram.com/p/BsdhrNJH-zR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ghc61w3jrtwl

[charlott2200]

Just relaxing doing this ace flag inspires drawing Hope you like It :)

[thegrandimago]

This is the 227th installment of 'Since I've Been Gone'. Taken on the same night as the last post during my time with @americanconservationexperience, I found more if those 'Hogna antelucana'. I should note the third image is another individual. #animal #animals #wildlife #txwildlife #texaswildlife #texasnature #nature #txnature #invertebrate #invertebrates #spider #spiders #minibeast #minibeasts #fauna #texasspiders #wolfspider #wolfspiders #animalia #arthropod #arthropods #arachnid #arachnids #arthropoda #arachnida #araneae #lycosidae #hogna #hognaantelucana #aceinspires (at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge) https://www.instagram.com/caseyunt2/p/CYKniBIPgjR/?utm_medium=tumblr

[swim-good]

leaving for my california adventure in 3 fucking dayyyzzzz and even tho i’m excited AF my camping gear is all over the floor and after moving out of my apartment from college for the past 2 days my shit is EVERYWHERE which makes packing even more difficult but oh well :))))

[nconey]

First drystack wall in a year and a half. Two people, 4 days, found material in the backcountry, minimal tools. 45 ft² #dirtwork #drystack #aceinspires (at Gila National Forest)

[thegrandimago]

This is the 31st installment of 'Since I've Been Gone'. Taken on the same day as the previous post while working for @americanconservationexperience, I found two wolf spider species, to my crew's dismay, the first image is Hogna antelucana and the second is the rabid wolf spider (Rabidosa rabida). Not much information is available about Hogna antelucana. The rabid wolf spider I found is obviously female based on the eggsac she is carrying on her abdomen, and her spiderlings will remain on her until they are old enough. Not surprising to find either since we were at a wetland. Both were released where they would be safe. #animal #animals #wildlife #txwildlife #texaswildlife #texasnature #nature #texasspiders #fauna #wolfspider #wolfspiders #animalia #arthropod #arthropods #arachnid #arachnids #arthropoda #arachnida #araneae #lycosidae #hogna #hognaantelucana #rabidosa #rabidosarabida #rabidwolfspider #invertebrate #invertebrates #minibeast #minibeasts #aceinspires (at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVA83O_qnXd/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegrandimago]

This is the 95th installment of 'Since I've Been Gone'. Taken on 2020 17th October while I was on my Iowa hitch with @americanconservationexperience, I crossed paths with a Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), I was close enough to get a good picture of it. Not too long after, it bolted into the trees. It's not easy to get them to play possum. #animal #animals #wildlife #nature #fauna #iowawildlife #iowanature #oppossums #opposum #marsupial #marsupials #mammals #nocturnalmammals #iowamammals #possums #possum #vertebrate #vertebrates #animalia #chordata #mammalia #marsupialia #didelphimorphia #didelphidae #didelphis #didelphisvirginiana #virginiaopossum #virginiaopossums #northamericanopossum #aceinspires (at YMCA Camp Wapsie) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWPMWY9qhre/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegrandimago]

Taken on the same night as the previous post while I was on my Iowa hitch with @americanconservationexperience, this is bullfrog 15 out of 72. Real small I will say. #animal #animals #wildlife #nature #iowawildlife #iowanature #frog #frogs #froggy #amphibian #amphibians #iowafrogs #herps #nocturnal #iowaherps #iowaamphibians #vertebrate #vertebrates #animalia #chordata #amphibia #anura #ranidae #lithobates #lithobatescatesbeianus #bullfrog #bullfrogs #americanbullfrog #americanbullfrogs #aceinspires (at YMCA Camp Wapsie) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWMnxePKq0I/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegrandimago]

This is the 68th installment of 'Since I've Been Gone'. Taken on the same day as the last post while on my Iowa hitchThis is the 63rd installment of 'Since I've Been Gone'. Taken on 2020 6th October while on my Iowa hitch with @americanconservationexperience, I found another lady beetle on the same day, this one being the spotted pink ladybeetle (Coleomegilla maculata). They are most recognized for being an essential biological control of all sorts of crop pests due to being present wherever there is prey, such as aphids. It am among the many ladybeetles of North America. #animal #animals #wildlife #insect #insects #insectagram #iowawildlife #iowanature #nature #fauna #invertebrate #invertebrates #beetle #beetles #imago #ladybird #ladybirds #ladybirdbeetle #ladybirdbeetles #animalia #arthropod #arthropods #arthropoda #insecta #coleoptera #coccinellidae #coleomegilla #coleomegillamaculata #spottedpinkladybeetle #aceinspires (at Palo, Iowa) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWGqbT_Pqis/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegrandimago]

Taken on the same day as the previous post while I was on my Iowa hitch with @americanconservationexperience, this is bullfrog 5 out of 72. The first of a night in which many bullfrogs will be found. #animal #animals #wildlife #nature #iowawildlife #iowanature #frog #frogs #froggy #amphibian #amphibians #iowafrogs #herps #nocturnal #iowaherps #iowaamphibians #vertebrate #vertebrates #animalia #chordata #amphibia #anura #ranidae #lithobates #lithobatescatesbeianus #bullfrog #bullfrogs #americanbullfrog #americanbullfrogs #aceinspires (at YMCA Camp Wapsie) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWCJr59qpJP/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegrandimago]

This is the 50th installment of 'Since I've Been Gone'. Taken on the same day as the previous post while on my Iowa hitch with @americanconservationexperience, I found my last critter of the night, which at least think is a garden ghost spider (Hibana gracilis). Someone, please help me ID this mini-beast. #animal #animals #wildlife #iowawildlife #iowanature #nature #fauna #invertebrate #invertebrates #minibeast #minibeasts #iowaspiders #ghostspider #ghostspiders #spider #spiders #animalia #arthropod #arthropods #arachnid #arachnids #arthropoda #chelicerata #arachnida #araneae #anyphaenidae #hibana #hibanagracilis #gardenghostspider #aceinspires (at YMCA Camp Wapsie) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVYK4D1qXVj/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegrandimago]

This is the 38th installment of 'Since I've Been Gone'. Taken on 2020 30th September while working for @americanconservationexperience, my crew and I made it to Camp Wapsie for hospitality as we headed did derecho relief. I don't usually use YMCA facilities, but who was I to question our hosts. When we got there, I decided to get comfortable with the surroundings by identifying the nature around me, such as this cluster of violet-toothed polypore (Trichaptum biforme), a saprobic fungus that feeds off of decaying hardwood. #fungus #fungi #funguses #iowafungi #iowanature #nature #bracketfungus #bracketfungi #shelffungus #shelffungi #polypore #polypore #basidiomycota #basidiomycetes #basidiomycete #agaricomycotina #agaricomycetes #hymenochaetales #hymenochaetaceae #trichaptum #trichaptumbiforme #poroidfungi #poroidfungus #violettoothedpolypore #violettoothedpolypores #decomposers #decomposer #saprobe #saprobicfungi #aceinspires (at YMCA Camp Wapsie) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVJVhg4qxfJ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegrandimago]

This is the 30th installment of 'Since I've Been Gone'. Taken on the 2020 23rd September day while working for @americanconservationexperience, my crew saw something slithering within our project site and they immediately thought it was a snake, but I know it couldn't be so because the eyes seemed off, the scales were too smooth, and the head didn't match that of a snake. That's when I immediately knew this was in fact the illusive western slender glass lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus attenuatus), namesake for its ability to break its tail off into many pieces without effort even if it wasn't pulled, as I found out after releasing it somewhere safe, and will begin thrashing a lot. As soon as they shed the tail, a new tail starts regenerating, but it always gets shorter everytime a tail is lost. Needless to say, my crew was amazed as I was to find one as they aren't easy to find due to their fossorial lifestyles. #animal #animals #wildlife #texaswildlife #texasnature #nature #txwildlife #lizard #lizards #leglesslizard #leglesslizards #glasslizard #glasslizards #slenderglasslizard #glasslizards #texasherps #herps #herptofauna #texasreptiles #texaslizards #fauna #animalia #chordata #reptilia #squamata #sauria #anguidae #ophisaurus #ophisaurusattenuatus #aceinspires (at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU-c0GMKGdS/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegrandimago]

This is the 28th installment of 'Since I've Been Gone'. Taken on the same day as the previous post while working for @americanconservationexperience, I found a bold jumping spider (Phidippus audax), they are quite big for a jumper and get their name for tackling prey bigger than them. This one is an adult based on the white spots decorating the abdomen. Unlike most spiders bold jumpers are diurnal hunters as they have great stereoscopic vision; I can only wonder what I look like in its eyes. Luckily, they don't bite unless handled, but when they do, it can it can be painful for those who are allergic. On a non-biological note, this species has been designated State Spider of New Hampshire just this year. #animal #animals #wildlife #txwildlife #texaswildlife #texasnature #nature #texasspiders #fauna #jumpingspider #jumpingspiders #salticid #animalia #arthropod #arthropods #arachnid #arachnids #arthropoda #arachnida #araneae #salticidae #phidippus #phidippusaudax #boldjumpingspider #daringjumpingspider #invertebrate #invertebrates #minibeast #minibeasts #aceinspires (at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU2gUmBKkMH/?utm_medium=tumblr