We slept like dogs by the fireside and awoke to the fog, as it was all around us. As the morning glow shudders across the bitter breath of Lake Superior, the cry of loons can be heard from the base of the channel. The...
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...
My Mosaics in Science internship has been an amazing opportunity. I believe a discovery of history is discovery of self. The projects I participated in allowed me to feel more connected to my ancestors by exploring what they left behind and the natural landscape they...
Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death or ROD is a fungal disease that is killing the ʻŌhiʻa tree, a species that is endemic to Hawaiʻi. The ʻŌhiʻa tree is commonly known for its beautiful red, yellow, and orange lehua blossoms and is important not only a pioneer species...
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 a part of my project I am helping to develop curriculum for an archeological site in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park called Puʻuloa Petroglyphs. Puʻuloa means “long hill” in Hawaiian and it is a place where Native Hawaiians carved over 23,000 petroglyphs into hardened lava...
As I'm writing this, we are two days out from the end of the conference. This whole experience feels like it just began less than a week ago! It might be because the conference has ended but my time in the park has not, though...
The Hawaiian word kīpuka is often used to refer to an “island” of forest surrounded by newer lava flows. An example of a kīpuka here in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is Kīpukapuaulu where an island of native plants and animals has survived not only the...
Let me take a moment and highlight two salt-of-the-earth sisters who have been monumental to my experience here at Mammoth Cave: Brenda and Vanessa. When I arrived at Mammoth, I dove head-first into the job. No adjustment period, no orientation. My radon monitoring was pretty...