I've talked a bit about the phenology project at Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, so now I'd like to update you on what's been happening the last few weeks. Once a week, I go out to Lily Lake to see if any of...
The morning was beautiful and hot spent out on the rocks doing raptor surveys. It was a briefly intense hike to the site but once in place the view was amazing. Although early in the season there was a definite moment of awe and feeling...
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...
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...
Nick Bartush is a brilliant coworker I have had the pleasure of working alongside this summer and has truly made hard days a little brighter! Often arriving to work early and leaving the last second of the day, I see a tremendous amount of effort...
Willow plants are of the genus Salix and Rocky Mountain has a variety of species growing. Recently I have worked on identifying different species growing, exciting stuff! I have become familiar and capable of identifying the common species. One morning an unfamiliar willow plant required measuring...
This weekend, I went down scenic trail ridge road on the way to the East Inlet Trail to help a researcher in the park with her sampling. Her research project focuses on antibiotic resistant bacteria in streams in Rocky Mountain National Park and how human...
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...
At the end of my first week in the Park, I have a handle on the two main projects I’ll be woking on this summer. The first project will be an anthology of all the research done in RMNP about the limber pine, a five-needle-bundled...
I have finally arrived in the state of Colorado for the first time! My journey from Washington to Colorado has been filled with changing landscapes, climate, and overall scenery. The drive from the Denver area to Estes Park provided plenty of roadside geologic outcrops that...