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Phoenix grad takes time for service in Americorps By PAUL FATTIG After Dan Horton graduated from Phoenix High School last June, he considered temporarily pausing his long climb up the educational ladder. But, like many newly minted high school graduates, he enrolled in college for the fall term. Now the melody the music major hears is that of the golden-cheeked warbler on a remote ranch near Austin, Texas. Horton, 19, began the new millennium as a member of the National Civilian Community Corps, an AmeriCorps program which allows youth to provide national service while earning an educational voucher of $4,725 for 10 months of service. He had applied to the AmeriCorps program before attending fall term at Southern Oregon University. "I was thinking I wanted to take a little break but I didn't really know what I wanted to do," he said in a telephone interview. "This will give me the time to not only find myself but to help other people and do something good." Horton, the son of Bill and Sheila Horton of Talent, will be in the AmeriCorps program through October, during which time he could serve at a variety of sites in a 17-state region. The group has been described as the domestic Peace Corps because much of its focus is on helping those in need within the United States. "Everybody is here for the same reason: They want to make a difference," Horton said. He is currently working at the Reicher Ranch Nature Preserve near Austin. "We're working on a series of wildlife nature preserves that add up to about 13,000 acres," he said, noting that the work includes restoring habitat for the golden-cheeked warbler, an endangered species. "We're doing a lot of habitat restoration and erosion control," he said. "We're putting in water bars -- logs to stop silt erosion, things like that." His schedule includes rising at 6:30 a.m. for physical training, followed by work. "We get our housing paid and food -- pretty much everything you really need to survive," he said. "We also get a modest living allowance. "I'm not sure what happens after Texas," he added. "After six weeks, I'll go back to Denver (regional NCCC headquarters) for about a week, then go somewhere else." However, he noted that his team will likely be trained to fight wild fires, a job that will take him through the summer. "It's a good way to raise money for school," he said. (For information on joining AmeriCorps, call 1-800-565-7052 or visit its Web site at www.americorps.org The deadline for fall placement is March 15; winter 2001 placement deadline is July 15.) Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA