What comes to your mind when you hear the term invasive species? Alteration of habitats, reduction of biodiversity, destruction of native food sources? Well, the truth is, invasive species do all that and more. According to the National Park Service, “invasive species are...

Some visitors have asked what I am doing and why is my job important. Cultural landscapes are historically significant geographic areas that sustain great diversity of interactions between humans and the environment. They also protect traditional cultures, both living and those that have disappeared. Cultural...

This week was the first time I got to present my project to some people! Unlike others in the program who may be working on more tangible research projects with set variables and such, mine is a bit different. I got to choose my topic,...

After a week of informative training, Salem Maritime National Park has an amazing Lantix and people of color diversity exhibit towards the back of the visitor's center building. The Dominican Faceless dolls art project and El Punto Art Museum information caught my attention the day...

From Great Falls to Mount Vernon, there is a scenic roadway honoring the nation’s first president. The George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) is one of the ten most visited National Park Service (NPS) units with 7.2 million annual visitors. Kayaking at the Great Falls, having...

An educational comic book I found from 1988 about sea turtles. It most likely was used to educate the community.My first year of graduate school in a history program prepared me for the tears, the laughs, and the constructive criticisms that accompany new experiences;...

My first week at the park was one of the busiest weeks of my life, but it was all worth it. Salem Maritime National Historical Site contains twelve historical sites, all of them with individual stories that ties global connections from the Colonial period....

¡ Bienvenidxs nuevamente a mi blog ! Midwest Regional Office Building As a Park Planning Fellow at the Midwest Regional Office (MWRO), I work in a BIG building with many offices and a lot of people with different background experiences. On my first day, my Supervisor/Mentor, Aleks Pitt, presented...

As I previously have written about on this blog, community partnerships at a national trail–especially the Anza trail–look different from the typical model of “outreach” at many NPS sites. For, rather than bringing something–managed, protected, and interpreted by us–to different communities, building trails inherently requires...

Okay, perhaps I am not a child, but there is no doubt that a village is behind my development and learning process as an intern this summer at Minute Man National Historical park. Several individuals regularly demonstrate and extend their unwavering commitment to my internship...

Quick explanation for the title—my initials “DC” are the same as the abbreviation for the District of Columbia! The first few weeks of my internship have been a thrill! During my walk to and from the Main Interior Building (MIB) each morning, I reflect on how...

Beatty-Cramer House located in Frederick, Maryland is a Dutch H-bent house. The house was dated through dendrochronology to 1748. Its original owners, Thomas and Maria Beatty were from Ulster County, New York, where at the time Dutch building styles was more common. There is evidence...

Hi everyone! I am half way done with my internship!!! It has been a very busy summer trying to complete all of my tasks. What exactly am I doing, you ask? This blog post will answer your great question. Click on the video below to learn about...

This summer a main part of my internship involves photogrammetry.  It is a process that takes pictures of an object, buildings, or environment and then stiches them together to create a digital model.How does it do that?It works by using the concept of parallax. Which...

The sunset after our first big rain Monsoon season has started. We were greeted by our first rain on June 18th. I was out of town, planning to hike in the mountains of Pine, AZ. Thunderstorms get nasty out here, and when I stepped out of my...

Young visitors explain the meaning behind their secret code quilt squares during our Juneteenth celebration.   One of the early lessons I learned when first beginning to present my Freedmen's Colony program is that it is hard to get people to care about something they are...

     My first weeks at the park have been full of new and exciting experiences. Working at a national park rich with natural, historical, cultural, and archaeological resources like Monocacy National Battlefield has provided me with different concepts and perspectives. Coming from a rural...

The USS Constitution Museum located in the Charlestown Navy YardMy first week in Boston was wicked smaht. I still don't know if I'm using that right, but it's only my first week here and I already feel like I'm picking up on some Boston...

I have dreamed of doing park planning work for years. I have wanted to be in a role just like the one that I am in. I was extremely excited when I learned I would be working at a park as a trails planner, but...