Founded in 1935, the goal of Shenandoah National Park was to create a national park in the East. The first national parks were created in the late 1800’s and were mainly in the West. In the east, the land was already developed and settled, making...
Living in Canada and studying Natural Resource Conservation at the University of British Columbia, I am not very familiar with the common plants of the Eastern forests. I am currently learning to identify the common plants found within Shenandoah National Park, along the Blue Ridge...
Tomorrow will be the start of my 5th week here in Cuyahoga Valley NP. It is crazy to think that I have been here for that long. Time has flown here! Lately, I have been getting things together to for this week of sampling. I...
Another great week at Capulin Volcano National Park! In my first weeks, I spent a good chunk of time filling trays with soil and native grass seed with the resource crew. [caption id="attachment_6849" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Thousands of trays filled with native grass seeds.[/caption] This is the first...
Pinus flexilis, the Limber pine, is a keystone species here in Rocky Mountain National Park. It is also known as Rocky Mountain white pine. Limber pine were named for the extremely flexible branches on younger trees. Notable characteristics include the flexible branches and a grey...
City-slickers like me have grown up around timid and (mostly) non-threatening animals such as livestock, deer, waterfowl, small birds, and squirrels. The beasts we do live with are our domesticated dogs and cats. Anything more exotic than those live in zoos and are relatively docile...
After living in Skagway, AK for several weeks I have come to realize that even though Skagway is much different than Tampa, FL and that they are located on opposite sides of the North American continent they share many similar traits. Both Tampa and Skagway...
Are some of the most recognizable words from a hilarious SpongeBob Squarepants episode. After completing MOCC training I can honestly see why sponge bob had a few problems. The thought of driving a boat terrified me, people always compare Lake Superior to an ocean because...
When completing a puzzle all pieces are needed to obtain the bigger picture. If a piece or two is missing the whole image becomes distorted or forms a new picture altogether. The formerly complete wildlife picture at Isle Royale is now missing a key component...
[caption id="attachment_6742" align="aligncenter" width="409"] Me and a coworker promoting the Dragonfly Mercury Project.[/caption] My main responsibility at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is the Dragonfly Mercury Project. This project is an ongoing study to assess the levels of mercury in our natural parks. Over the past...