Aug 7, 2018
Growing up near Boise, Idaho, Teresa was
familiar with the desert. So when a trip brought her out to the
Mojave, it was like a homecoming.
With a
long history of community organizing, it's no surprise Teresa
became immersed in the community quickly, helping out at local
Community Center events, joining the Morongo Basin Municipal
Advisory Council, writing a column for the local newspaper and
creating her own hyper-local paper with her husband Ken: The Wonder
Valley Sand Paper, inspired by Harry Oliver's 'The
Desert Rat Scrapbook' and the Scarfolk Council.
Teresa
recently accepted the position of Coordinator at the Wonder Valley
Community Center, where new programs have included a discussion
with local snake manager Bert Lies, a hike for fulgurites, American Sign
Language classes and Artist of the Month exhibitions. Having
graduated the the EMT Program at Copper Mountain College, Teresa is
also equipped to assist members of her in emergency
situations.
In this episode, Teresa
talks about all of this, as well as her love of Google Maps, which
lead to the discovery of some truly intriguing Wonder Valley
history: the Full
Bloom Love Volcanic Gardens of homesteader, Hazel
I. Stiles.