If I were to go back to before the pandemic and look at what my internship is now, I would be surprised, to say the least. That does not mean that it’s awful and my summer is ruined, but it is not what I imagined...
In the southwestern corner of South Dakota lies Wind Cave National Park, the first cave to be selected as a national park anywhere in the world. At 150 miles in length, Wind Cave is one of the longest and most intricate caves in the world....
Though all national parks have complicated histories, Mount Rushmore National Monument is much more controversial and political than other sites. The monument was completed in 1941 by Gutzon Borglum. A member of the Ku Klux Klan, Borglum’s prior projects included the Stone Mountain relief sculpture...
This season I’ll be in charge of radon monitoring in the caves. Monitoring occurs year-round on a weekly basis, mainly on tour routes. The purpose of radon monitoring is less for the protection of visitors and more for tour guides and cavers who log thousands...
Sea turtle themed paper holders, artwork, table bowls, and even stuffed toys and pillows find homes in Dr. Donna Shaver and Cynthia Rubio's offices. Lately, I've been right along the menagerie! There are several offices scattered around the government buildings at the Padre Island National...
After weeks of sampling streams in the park, I couldn't help but notice that diversity was significantly lacking. Many of our sample sites yielded only brook trout. Of course I'm not complaining about this, given how beautiful and unique these fish are, but this is...
This summer, my focus will lie on creating a geology training manual for the Interpretation and Education division of Wind Cave National park. This geologic resource manual will help future park interpreters and staff effectively communicate the geologic history of the park to visitors. Due...
There are several parks in the Central Alaska Network, and I have spent the last week visiting one of them- Denali National Park. Last week, from Monday to Sunday, I was camping in Denali working on a small mammals project out by Rock Creek, which...
Two weeks ago, in the middle of a pandemic and global crisis, I packed up my most important belongings and flew from one airport near the Mississippi River to another by the Pacific Ocean. Being a prairie kid from Missouri, where most bodies of water are...
When I flew out to South Dakota, I did not expect to be sliding down Badlands, holding onto my hiking pole for dear life, soon after my arrival. The Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (I&M) travels to various parks in the area, monitoring vegetation....