Hello! My name is Josephine Cacciato and I am from Granville, OH. I graduated in May from The Ohio State University with a degree in Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability. I am very excited to be the summer fellow at Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW)! This week I was able to explore much of the watershed and learn about the current projects within FLOW. I am very much looking forward to being involved with their work this summer and to make an impact on our local environment.

When first coming into the FLOW office, I was greeted by director Laura Fay and the current Americorps Member, Maggie. With the nonprofit being mostly volunteer based, the majority of my time is spent with Maggie and Laura along with community members. Additionally, our new office is located in The Franklin County Soil and Water building. This has allowed me to meet amazing people in the environmental field and have access to many useful resources.

My main project that I will be working on this summer is finding homes for 1800 native trees that FLOW is growing in their tree nurseries. I had the opportunity to visit both nurseries which are very impressive. I was introduced to the main volunteers that help assist in the nurseries and was able to learn about their past experiences with their tree giveaways and growing cycles. I have learned so much in a few short days and am thrilled to have the opportunity to spend my weeks both in the office and the outdoors.

One of the highlights of my week was attending the first Franklin County Pollinator Pathways meeting. Franklin Soil and Water hosted the pathways meeting for the county due to high interest from community members. More than double of the expected people showed up and held a lively 2 hour meeting about the establishment of a pollinator group. It was amazing to observe a group so passionate and witness the beginning steps of a new community group.

I have loved my first week with FLOW and am excited to see what the rest of the summer brings!