The Teacher

Erik Secrist
The Teacher
Have you in Castle Valley for a while?
Yeah I have been living there for uh, about seven or eight years
Where did you move from?
From Russia, I lived in Russia for about ten years before that and before that Canada
And have you always been in this business? (goat farming)
No I’m a teacher so this is a part time business for me and I’ve been teaching since I finished school but I have only been doing this for four years or so
And have there been any environmental impacts involving your work?Uh not too much so far the part of Castle Valley that we are located in is a sort of in the center in the valley and the wells there are pretty good the quality of water is good and you know we don’t grow our own hay we have small pastures but most hay comes from the farm Castle Valley Farm at the lower end of the valley which grows alfalfa and grass hay so we try to get our hay through them so we don’t have to worry about water or hay
And do you teach there?No I teach here in Moab
Have you used any techniques to get students interested in the environment?Um you know I’m an english teacher so you know I don’t know if i use special techniques but it is something that comes up in discussion a lot and there are certain things we do as a school not personal initiatives on my part but as a school we get the kids acquainted with the environment. There is the garden project, canyonlands field institute which does a program with the kids taking the kids to a camp in the fall we do some trips to National Parks with the kids.
Do you think that living in this specific area helps kids become interested in the environment?
Some of them, some of them definitely but surprisingly there are many of them haven't explored the area but some of them definitely You know I think if their parents have influenced them but even living next to National Parks it's surprising how many students aren't familiar with them or haven't been but I mean then there are a lot that are very much a part of that
And have you noticed a different level of environmental interest here versus places you have lived previously?Definitely, Moab has a definite very large community who are here because they love the place and want to preserve it other places I have lived not so much. Its good here, to see that.
If you could pick just a short phrase to describe Moabs view of the environment what would you say?Ah, In a way something you might think about is that with awareness comes concern. The one thing I notice is that students or people in general who are not aware can not be concerned. So awareness is the first step of familiarity is even more basic. You have to be aware of your environment to be concerned about it and so on. I mean I am sure there is a whole taxonomy out there to describe that growing awareness. I mean I would say for most people If they are not concerned its because they just don’t know. I think when people do know they do get concerned. Having experiences and information.... I don’t know I think I’d have to think about that one for a bit....

Erik hard at work at the Moab Farmers Market where he sells his Goat Cheese and Yogurt every Saturday.