The upkeep of the Guam National Wildlife Refuge at Ritidian includes over 300 acres of land. Our maintenance team onboarded an additional member named Aiden mid last year through a nonprofit called MobilizeGreen. This organization allows the youth of today to become the leaders of tomorrow in green careers via Maintenance Fellowships, internships and mentoring. With his term at a close, we sat down with Aiden to reflect on his experience in this interview.
Why did you want to work here?
At a young age, I found an interest and appreciation for nature. I would just sit outside and look at plants or lay in the grass. I wanted to work here because I get to make this place look nice for everyone that gets to come here & enjoy themselves. It’s for those that have a vacation, you want to make it the best time of their lives, as best as possible.
Before this position did you know how to do maintenance?
Not even close. I thought I had a concept but it was nowhere near what the job duties actually were. I had to work on every bit of equipment we have, make sure all the vehicles were well kept, and clean off any rust from everything we have. We have to make sure the buildings are intact. The entire place is yours to take care of and you have to take that into your own arms which is a lot but you get the hang of it.
What was the most challenging part of your job?
I started right after typhoon Mawar hit, it was extremely difficult and challenging not only for me but for everybody. It was a lot of work, we were out there cutting and throwing 100 pound pieces of coconut trees. I would be extremely tired after work everyday but it was definitely something I would do again.
What's your favorite task when you're working? Trail maintenance to be honest. You cut all the leaves, blow all the grass [and] dirt out of the way, it's a clear and smooth path - it grabs a lot of attention. After all that progress of going through it and you look back and see how nice it is - its fantastic, very relieving, and pretty satisfying.
What would you say surprised you most about working here? [Guam] Tree snails(Partula radiolata), definitely. I never saw myself having to search for [Guam] tree snails in my life. You get the hang of it, after only 10 minutes I realized which trees and leaves to look for. I’ve found 80 in one hour.
What’s something interesting that you learned while working here? You gotta have patience, if you don’t have patience here you're not going to get through anything. Patience for the heat, the humidity. When it comes to things breaking, have patience for that too. Patience and a level head.
Is there one skill you are happy you learned? I learned quite a lot. I would say improvisation skills. You gotta use what you have around you.
How would you say your view has changed from when you first started until now? When I first started, I looked at this place as where my grandfather did everything by himself for so many years and he finally got help. It was pretty challenging trying to get the hang of everything at first but I adapted. I figured out how to work through things and I started to make the place look nice. You learn to be a critical thinker and a problem solver.
What are some words of encouragement or advice for someone who wants to learn how to do maintenance?Work through the motion-your emotional motions and your physical motions. You have to power through everything you have. No matter how dirty, sweaty, if you cry, if you got a parakeet on your head, you just got to power through it.
What's next for you? I'm heading out back to Texas. It will suck not working on a beach anymore and seeing a lot of people with their families. I lived there for 6 years before I got here in February 2023. I was volunteering 3 months before I started a position in maintenance.
You’re known to have a praying mantis on you at work, what do you like about them? They are my favorite insect. A lot of the time they just pop up on me out of nowhere, I don't even realize it sometimes. They stay on me for hours or for the rest of the day. I really like how they look too, they are extremely friendly to me. The Park Ranger calls me the "mantis whisperer" which fits.
What improvement would you want to see on the Refuge? If we had a gift shop that would be insane. It would be so successful.
Thank you for all of your contributions, Aiden! We whole-heartedly wish you the best on your journey.
