Tom Arth
My education is not in the physical sciences but rather the behavioral sciences. After receiving my masters degree in counseling from North Dakota State University, I became an officer in the Air Force and was stationed at the Human Resources Laboratory in Brooks Air Force Base. My next job was with the state of Texas working for the Texas Employment Commission. When we moved to Missouri, I worked with several agencies in the counseling profession.
My history also includes a love of the outdoors from an early age. I grew up on a dairy farm in North Dakota where hunting pheasants and deer was an annual event. When I moved to Texas, I got hooked on dove hunting. Hiking was also a favorite pastime as Big Bend National Park offered some challenges. Texas also showed me how valuable water resources are to everyone. Last year, I joined the Ozarks Chapter of the Master Naturalists in order to make a positive impact in this part of the world.
The past year with AmeriCorps has been very rewarding. My local sponsor, the Bryant Watershed Education Project, is heavily involved with area schools reaching young students and teaching them the importance of water quality. The hands-on projects also include river cleanups, water quality monitoring, and disaster relief efforts. Hopefully, I learned from my first year and next year will bring more rewards and challenges.