There are many bright minds on the resource management team. One intern who has stood out the most in my mind is Hunter, a Geoscientists-in-the-Park intern. Hunter and I were both hired to do the same job: studying the geology of the monument and a...
Over the last couple of weeks I've been learning a whole new set of skills. I have been able to go with my supervisor out in the field to check humidity loggers in old mines made back in the 1800s as well as going out...
Since starting my internship, I have had the opportunity to live at McGraw Ranch, a historical ranch built in 1884 that has been preserved and repurposed as a space for researchers to live and work. The ranch is named after the McGraws who owned the...
Two weeks ago, we began the Big Meadows Sampling in Shenandoah. The Big Meadows is a large open area on the ridgeline of the Blue Ridge Mountains that was cleared by Native Americans. After Europeans settled the area they kept the meadow open through grazing...
[caption id="attachment_7736" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Bat costume! Need I say more?[/caption] Here is something to know about me: I love talking to strangers, but give me a formal presentation and I clam up real fast. I took this internship to get me to practice being able to...
[caption id="attachment_7725" align="alignleft" width="300"] Hummingbird enjoying a sweet treat at the feeder.[/caption] Here at Capulin Volcano we continue to monitor our migratory hummingbird species. So far we have only captured broad-tailed and black-chinned hummingbirds, but the rufous and calliope hummingbirds should be joining us shortly! Our...
This 4th of July and past weekend I spent time in Everglades National Park where I am currently living. Everglades is the largest tropical wilderness area in the United States, the third largest national park in the contiguous U.S., and home to a plethora of...
Within the last week I’ve begun a series of box turtles surveys. In Pennsylvania, box turtles are threatened by habitat destruction and fragmentation, pollution, pesticide application, vehicle strikes, and predation. As box turtles are important omnivores within the park, and are granted a vulnerable status...
The river is a magical place. I haven't been journaling much recently, but I filled about 15 pages as soon as I got back from this river trip. I wanted to capture everything I was feeling and write down everything I never wanted to forget....
Quick! What’s ginormous, seemingly always yelling, reeks of fish, and weighs thousands of pounds? Don’t know the answer? Why, it’s an elephant seal, of course! This past weekend, a couple of fellow National Park Service coworkers and I got together to go tide-pooling along one of the beaches...