The unofficial motto for the vegetation department at Grand Canyon is Over The Edge Veg! Which is perfect for my project with Sentry Milk-vetch since it only grows within 25 feet of the rim. Unfortunately, we will not be propelling down the side of the...
Hello, my name is Viridiana Orona and this is my first time as an intern for the Mosaics in the Science Diversity Internship Program. I’m from El Paso, Texas and I’m currently a master’s student at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). I’m...
I have found many animals from being outside at Saguaro National Park. My job is to find butterflies and photograph them so we can identify the species, however, I like all the creatures. Even today I found a desert tortoise just sitting on a giant...
One step out of the ordinary, to look for butterflies, record data, and to capture a photo of these dainty insects. The butterfly survey had a great many climbs that challenged me both mentally and physically. One the most important aspects of hiking 4 days...
There is no place quite like Saguaro National Park, with cacti forests, riparian areas, and mountains. It can be sometimes overlooked as a dry desert with a lot of sharp plants; however, they are known for the largest cacti species, the saguaro. Saguaros are slow...
As previously mentioned, the Southeast Arizona Group (SEAZ) is composed of three parks: Coronado National Memorial (CORO), Chiricahua National Monument (CHIR), and Fort Bowie National Historic Site (FOBO). My favorite aspect of this internship is that rather than being limited to working within one park,...
It was been a full three weeks since my arrival in Southeast Arizona. Given the pandemic, my arrival from Texas was kicked off with a two-week quarantine. Luckily, Coronado National Memorial (CORO) has two employee homes, Q1 & Q2, allowing me and the other incoming...
This summer my primary objective will be to continue the implementation of the Unstable Slope Management Program (USMP) at Chiricahua National Monument. The USMP is a geotechnical asset-management-based program designed to reduce the risk and deterioration of park infrastructure due to geohazards such as rockslides...
While I won’t be on site until June 15th, I wanted to describe the sites that I will have the benefit of spending time in this summer. The SEAZ is composed of Coronado National Memorial, Chiricahua National Monument and the Fort Bowie National Historic Site....
I have a Bachelor of Science degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. I am currently working on my Master of Science in environmental science and technology at California State University Fullerton. I am interested in pursuing a career...