I had the privilege of working with Antonio Ruvalcaba from Dinosaur National Monument. Our internships programs started around the same time and we worked on very similar projects at each park regarding monarch conservation. Last week we completed our outreach event! We both collaborated on...
Last week I went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. The North Rim is only about 20 miles from the South Rim. However, to get there it takes about five hours driving. This is because the only route there is around...
Hi everyone, I hope you are doing well. This past weekend on August 14th we had a public tagging event. In total 66 people came out including children and adults. I was able to show the the process of tagging a monarch and the data...
Although this is the last day of my internship, and the summer is coming to a close, I am not sad. Instead, I am excited about the future. I have learned so much about being a scientist and a steward of our lands. I have...
Monarch butterflies (Danaus Plexippus) have suffered a grave decline as population size has plummeted from 4.5 million in the 1980s to fewer than 30,000 individuals in 2019. In 2020 the USFWS placed monarch butterflies as a candidate species under the Endangered Species Act. When I think...
As “Sound Technician”, my primary directive for my summer project is to document, analyze, and edit the sounds of the Sonoran summer. My supervisors have provided to me a few ideas, in addition to plenty of other resources to contact, as they themselves have no...
My last week at my internship is such a bittersweet moment. This whole summer has been such a journey, as I met new people and got to see different sides of the NPS and the bay that I've never gotten to see before. I am...
I can't believe the conference is here already! The summer has truly flown by so fast, it's almost sad to think about the fact that my time at my park is coming to an end. Thankfully, I live within driving distance of Fire Island and...
Every good thing must come to an end, and unfortunately it is time for me to say goodbye to the Park(s). It has been a fun, fruitful, and learning experience here and I am thankful that I got the opportunity to work for the National...
Taking the chance and applying to this internship program to work in the National Park resulted in one of the most amazing summers I have ever had. Truthfully, I had never considered the potential of working in the National Park Service because I did not...
The last week of the internship is here and all of us interns are presenting our results to our fellow peers, hiring authorities, and the public online. Watching a coalition of people working towards diversity in a remarkably homogenous workforce is comforting. Some seek to...
Even before I was offered the position as the intern, I took a liking to the park's mascot, Pancho the Vermillion Flycatcher. He's a big, red bird with chubby cheeks and big, round eyes. An adorable little guy! During one of my first conversations with...
As the internship here at Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site comes to a close, I can look back and find that I've had countless enjoyable experiences during my time. By far, my favorite was the work environment itself and the opportunity to work with...
These twelve weeks went by faster than I could have ever anticipated but they have been the most rewarding personally, but especially professionally. This internship taught me a lot about the workforce, introduced me to amazing people, and helped me develop new skills and improve...
When I first arrived at Point Reyes National Seashore, I knew there were a lot of unknowns and exciting adventures ahead. Coming from San Diego, I was very unfamiliar with the area up in Northern California. As I am nearing the end of my internship,...
When I arrived at Rock Creek Park for my first day, I felt like a little bird trying to take everything in. Realizing I knew very little about the native and invasive species, the intricate trails available, and the wide array of resources, partners, and...
One of the great opportunities that this internship provides is getting to interact and work with so many new people and that couldn't be more true than at the Denver Service Center's Planning division. While almost every day I was greeted with new faces within...
This summer, I had the great honor of being mentored by Jennifer Hanna at the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation (OCLP). Before making my way back home, I wanted to share a few things that I learned about her and from her during my twelve...
This summer, I've participated in the pitfall array surveys within Cabrillo National Monument. The project started in 1995, and surveys have been conducted every year since by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National Park Service (NPS) researchers. These surveys aim to understand the population dynamics...
The Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA) is definitely grand. At the South Rim we sit at 7,000 feet above sea level, so coming from a town that is right at sea level has been an adjustment for me. Altitude sickness is a real thing! However,...