Eleven weeks sure do fly by when you’re having fun. I swear I was just sitting in a room with 30 strangers learning about what the difference between a national park and monument was. Those strangers and I have since been seamlessly woven into the...
I’ve had a blast this summer at Jewel Cave. I’ve done so many cool things in such a short time! Although I didn’t answer every question I had about this place, I know my efforts will help the park solve them in the coming years....
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...
Now that I’m about 75% of the way through my Jewel Cave internship, it’s only right that I update you on the work I’ve done these last few weeks. Time just keeps flying by; I feel like I just started yesterday! [caption id="attachment_7630" align="alignnone" width="800"] Here's...
This past weekend I went to Jewel Cave and Wind Cave with some of my fellow interns thanks to the efforts of EFTA (Environment for the Americas). We went to Jewel Cave first, which was an impressive cave system whose walls are covered in calcite...
Jewel Cave keeps me both mentally and physically busy during the work week. In addition to photo monitoring and structure mapping, there are always side projects that need to be done. One such project was installing a 2500‘ PVC drainage pipeline to empty out water...
Recreational caving is new to me. Sure, I’ve poked around in small caves with a flashlight, but they’d either end or become crawlways that I didn’t feel comfortable going through. Prior to this summer, my favorite cave visit was to the Wabasha Street Caves in...
I spent most of this week in park wide training for first season park service staff but at the end of the week I led a hike on the Chilkoot Trail with the goal to reach several sample sites. When I was not in training...
This summer is jam-packed. Even though Jewel Cave is a small monument, the resource management (RM) team is tasked with a broad range of important work. Aside from our daily duties, we’re available to assist with cave emergencies, maintenance projects, search & rescues, and decontamination....
In only two weeks, I’ve learned a plethora of details about Jewel Cave National Monument. Before you get your hopes up, no, the ‘jewels’ that cover the cavern walls aren’t rubies and diamonds, but various crystalline forms of calcite. In its entirety, Jewel Cave is...