Autumn Picard is a recent graduate of Dexter Regional High School and one of the AmeriCorps Volunteers in Skowhegan Outdoors’ inaugural 2026 workforce development initiative – Career Access Through National Service and Outdoor Education (CANOE).
As an AmeriCorps Volunteer, Autumn serves a term of national service with our team, spending the season helping run the programs that get our community outdoors while building her own skills along the way. Volunteers like Autumn earn hands-on training and industry certifications, gain real experience in outdoor recreation and gear operations, and receive a living allowance and an education award for their service. Autumn was a part of the Natural Resources Program at Tri-County Technical Center, where her instructor encouraged her to apply. We took a little time to get to know Autumn and how her experience has been so far!
What are you hoping to gain from this experience?
I was hoping to gain new experiences and hone my skills in outdoor recreation. I want to encourage others and the future generations to enjoy our beautiful state and keep the recreation opportunities alive. I also want to get my Maine Guide license so I can do it in even bigger ways.
How has your experience been so far?
My experience so far has been amazing, I have been able to make connections with lots of new people and organizations. I also enjoy being able to help with programs that get people outdoors.
What do you like most about the CANOE program?
What I like most about the program is making friends and learning new skills that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. I also enjoy helping people get outdoors by using our gear.
What has been the most memorable part of your time here?
The most memorable part would be our week in Millinocket doing mountain-bike-based leadership and intro to trail building. During this week, I was challenging myself and getting out of my confront zone, but I was learning and meeting people that were encouraging me and that felt special to me.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to get my Maine guides license and help people get outdoors. Once I am able to, I would like to go to the criminal justice academy to be a Maine game warden since that has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl.
Is there anything else you would like people to know about your experience?
This experience has greatly encouraged me to be more resilient and to build on myself. I have felt greatly encouraged during my time here and feel as though I have grown a lot through the past couple months.
Get Involved:
For more more information about the CANOE Program, click here.
To join the Interest List, click here.
