News

Last week, Sound Rivers was informed the Resilience Corps NC AmeriCorps position held by Stormwater Education Coordinator Sierra Stickney Digan had been terminated without cause or warning by the Department of Government Efficiency, effective May 9.

Now, Sound Rivers is trying to find a way to continue her work. Sound Rivers pays 50% of Sierra’s living stipend; the other 50% was paid for by federal grant funds. To keep her on means scrambling to try to raise additional funds to cover 100% of the cost, according to Sound Rivers Executive Director Heather Deck.

“We have reached out to our longtime partner Grady-White Boats, and they have graciously agreed to donate $5,000 in matching funds to keep Sierra with us through the end of her original contract,” Heather said. “It’s unprecedented that we’re asking for more donations just as our April Match campaign wraps up — but these are unprecedented times.”

Sierra’s loss is a blow not only to Sound Rivers, but Sound Rivers’ impact through education and outreach, Heather said.

“Sierra has been an incredible resource to us and to the many teachers and students she’s worked with over the past nine months,” Heather said. “She’s made amazing progress on the outreach part of Sound Rivers’ mission, but one of the most important things she’s done is to connect so many schoolchildren to the natural world around them.”

In part, that connection has been established during two separate Stormwater Weeks Sierra hosted at West Craven Middle School, in which students learned about rain gardens and wetlands, how they work for clean water and why clean water is vital to healthy communities. Many of those students were introduced to the Neuse River for the very first time — though they live nearby and go to school just yards away from the river.

For Sierra, the news that her position had been eliminated was disheartening.

“I’m really sad I’ll no longer be a part of the Resilience Corps and continue my work as Stormwater Education Coordinator with Sound Rivers,” Sierra said. “I believe the work I was doing is important to our community. Stormwater education is a basic first step to understanding issues related to water quality.”

Sierra said she was devastated, too, by the loss of AmeriCorps positions across the state — at nonprofits, local governments and hurricane recovery efforts in western North Carolina.

“There are so many programs within AmeriCorps that are vital to communities. AmeriCorps disaster-relief services play an active role in helping communities rebuild and recover after disaster hits — they’re the ones still on the ground after other agencies leave. Partnership to End Homelessness is another program vital to communities — they’re the ones doing the work that many states will not,” Sierra said. “My heart goes out to all the communities that have lost an important AmeriCorps member. I don’t know who will do the much-needed work now.”

While the news was not exactly unexpected, Heather said she was still surprised at the choice to do away with a program that does so much good.

“It seems there’s a real lack of regard for public service and for the individuals providing that service. I don’t know how else to couch it,” she said. “These are beneficial public-private partnerships, and a great example of where we can leverage tax dollars and private dollars for community good.”

Sierra’s Resilience Corps NC AmeriCorps contract was for a year of service, which would have ended July 31. Sound Rivers is hoping to raise the funds needed to keep Sierra on staff through the summer, under a newly created position of program assistant.

Would you like to pitch in to help Sound Rivers keep Sierra on staff? We’d love your help! Donate today! (Just put “Sierra” in the comments!)