I'm on-board United Flight 312, en route to Chicago for a quick change of planes and onto Reagan National. It's Saturday and this is "work"; I HATE working on the weekend. I'm reading tax code: Section 45 of the 1986 Act if you must know. It's gripping, particularly on a Saturday.

Perhaps one of the unforeseen benefits to my recent marathon training was a built-in excuse to be away from my Blackberry and computer for whole days at a time. 20+ mile runs have a way of mentally tiring you out; at least enough not to be able to think about the complex ecological and social issues which our rural communities are dealing with in today's economy. But the marathon's past (4 hours, 22 minutes), I'm headed to DC and very excited to participate in RVCCs annual visit to the Hill. The cherry blossoms, the Capitol on a sunny morning, the standing-room only happy hour drinks that somehow help you not notice the tired feet!

True, my undergrad degree (Go Duke!) was a BA in Environmental Policy and Science. But my initial readings of Locke, Toqueville and crew in my freshman 'Political Theory' class quickly demoralized my premature thought of being involved in politics. The degree requirements were flexible enough to allow for a customized curriculum. So, I enrolled in Forestry Summer Camp at NC State University, loved it, turned my back to Toqueville and slept-walked through the two required (and "stupid") policy classes to get my degree. I was going to be a "dirt forester" damn it.

Fast forward a few years. Backpacking in the Cascades came calling and somehow I bumped into Sustainable Northwest. In my interview, Maia targeted in: "Tell me a bit about that Policy degree I see here." I have no idea how I BS'd that one; probably good she didn't have the final say since apparently I had the chair "kicked back" during my retort. Just the Policy Director; the position wasn't in her program.

I was hired for a different program; over the first two years, Maia managed to rekindle an old flame, then inserted me into the fire as a working group co-chair (use a charcoal analogy). RVCC and our community partners continue to fan it: every working group call, every Annual Policy Meeting, and without a doubt, every Western Week in Washington.

It's still Saturday and I'm on a plane, not with Liane and Sitka gallavanting in the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness celebrating the Spring's first Chocolate Lillies. Yet, I'm an 8-yr old kid inside; giddy with excitement of parading up to the Hill with 30+ partners on Monday morning. RVCC will do that to you. Be careful you don't catch it...

Chad Davis is the Program Director for the Forest Stewardship Program. 

Learn more about Chad and the rest of the team here.