Janelsins '02 Helps People Connect with Nature
by Gary James '10
Erick Janelsins ‘02 cares about the environment and is making a difference in the debate on how the Earth should be preserved. Janelsins, Phi Gamma Delta, majored in biology at Wabash and was involved in community work with the football team. Closer to graduation he was thinking about going to law school to study environmental law but heard of some of the experiences other guys had with AmericiCorps VISTA after college, and he decided to give a try.  Because he was interested in Environmental issues, Janelsins got to team up with volunteers from the Mid-Atlantic States to work on environmental protection issues with the Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations. One such organization was the non-profit Oglebay Institute's Environmental Education Department in Wheeling, West Virginia, which includes an 1800-acre city park and provides opportunities for middle school students and teachers to strengthen their relationships with the environment and to learn about nature and how to preserve it.
Oglebay's Schrader Center offers visitors a dynamic insight into good stewardship. It was constructed with a consciousness of how it would affect its surroundings and includes an EarthTrek exhibit hall, bird observation areas, a residential program, and a children's awareness area. It provides students and teachers with resources to learn about and interact with the environment, discovering and identifying species of animals and plants, surveying creeks, and learning how to determine the relative health of an area. The Center was so impressed with the work and commitment Janelsins displayed for environmental issues and helping others understand such issues, they hired him as Director of Environmental Education. "I was in AmeriCorp Vistsa in West Virginia, and I had lots of success there," Janelsins said. "My ability to learn quickly and willingness to put in the hours really helped." Janelsins had to learn a lot on the job. Not only was he responsible for the programs with the students and teachers, but he had to manage budgets, hire people, and manage the area. Those experiences did not feel completely foreign because of his leadership positions at Wabash with the Sphinx Club, his fraternity, and the football team. "Many people come to Wabash and want to be doctors and lawyers," he said. "Doing what I do now would have never crossed my mind. I feel like the things I learned [at Wabash] are transferable to about a million occupations. I also think the environment is a perfect example of the liberal arts. It takes the understanding of the scientific, historical, cultural, and political side of West Virginia. It also takes a responsible citizen to get involved." Janelsins’ work also brings a lot of different entities together to discuss policy issues. The Center has worked with the coal industry, chemical industries, non-governmental organizations, environmental non-profits, and concerned citizens. It’s about the facts first," said Janelsins. "‘Environment’ is such a loaded term. It takes thinkers who can understand all the different issues and make responsible decisions." Janelsins, who is finishing his Masters of Science in Environmental Science and Policy at Johns Hopkins University, thinks it is a good idea to get kids outside. He wonders if video games and computers have helped kids develop disorders like Attention Deficit Disorder because they have not spent significant constructive time outside. "If I can get kids to come outside, pick a flower, go in a stream, or care about the California Condor, I think it’s something they won’t forget."
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