When we first got to the entrance of the Jamboree, all I could think was: "I would never in my life want to be the person in charge of organizing all this." Picture about 45,000 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, 25,000 tents, and thousands more...
My project this summer was not only fulfilling and meaningful, it was fun. Good, real, wake up excited fun. I really enjoyed the thought puzzles of putting together a field trip that was connected enough to flow well but not so connected that each activity...
After many hours spent dreaming up ideas, writing and re-writing more than 20 pages of educational materials, and several practice runs, the program I have spent my summer on is ready to be used by school groups all around West Virginia. The result of my...
A few weeks ago I was able to be one of the instructors/ supervisors at a Girl Scout Ranger Weekend on the island of Brookside in the New River Gorge. Four different troops gathered to participate in science and math activities led by research...
My job this summer was to make an education program seem straightforward. However, consider for a moment that you have been tasked with this objective. Obviously the fact that you are employed by a national park narrows the number of topics you would consider, but...
Abby Adkins is my park ranger mentor at the New River Gorge National River. She has worked as a ranger for most of her career and still has the energy of someone in their first week at a new job. Abby wrote the grant that...
In my time at the New River, I have learned many things about the types of visitors and education opportunities the park has to offer. However, on a ride-along with the resource management team, I learned about a potential relationship between our efforts to save...
As of late, many more school groups have been taking interest in field trip opportunities here at New River Gorge National River. The ranger staff cannot handle several groups at a time, so unfortunately they have had to turn some classes away. My job for...
The New River Gorge is the most diverse river gorge in the central/southern Appalachians. The 53-mile river flows in a northward direction from North Carolina up through West Virginia. The park itself exist within West Virginia and encompasses three rivers and much of the surrounding...
Hello All! My name is Nicole Esch and I will be working as the citizen science and education outreach assistant in New River Gorge National River this summer. I just graduated a few weeks ago from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where...