05 Jun Mi Proyecto

I am an Interpretation and Outreach Assistant at Point Reyes National Seashore. It is important to include the Interpretive Mission Statement at Point Reyes National Park:

“To educate and inspire people to appreciate the importance of our natural and cultural history, to foster responsible land stewardship and conservation practices in our daily lives to protect the natural balance for the future”.

One of my tasks through this internship is to assist visitors at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. This role requires knowledge of the area and the resources available throughout the park. At the front desk of the visitor center, I am responsible for pointing out trails, the best places to observe wildlife, monitor weather conditions and provide safety measures. In addition, I provide information about the natural and cultural history of the park. I am responsible for providing the best information by assessing the specific needs of each visitor and their party. This position is amazing because it always encourages me to learn everyday since it is my goal to provide the best guidance and education as possible; to ensure that the visitors have a wonderful, an educational and safe experience during their stay. My confidence as an interpreter has grown and grows each day. I gain so much joy after every interaction with each visitor because I am in a position that allows me to connect people to the natural environment.

This internship will also provide me with the opportunity to work alongside field biologist. This upcoming year, I will complete my degree at Humboldt State University where I will be earning a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation (applied vertebrate ecology). My overall goal is to become a field biologist and conduct studies with the purpose of conservation of wildlife and their habitat. Point Reyes has a variety of field biologist who will allow me to shadow and oversee their projects with snowy plovers, spotted owls, marine mammals and fish. My project for this portion of the internship is to gain experience by observing their field methods for data collection, understanding their hypothesis and predictions, understanding how they assess their data and the implication of their results. I recently took a wildlife techniques course that focuses on field research. Now, I will have the opportunity to fully understand the knowledge I gained from the course, especially since it is applied directly to animals that are either endangered or threatened. Another project I am responsible for is to build meaningful business relationships with the biologists in order to gain opportunities to work under their guidance on projects in the future.

My number one project, however, falls under the outreach and interpretation categories of the internship. I plan to organize and conduct the activities during Latino Conservation Week here at the park in July. As you may know by now, my goal is to connect people (who do not typically have much access to our public lands) to our natural resources. I want to inspire people who share my background to take full advantage of these wonderful natural resources. I want to inspire them to pursue careers in biological sciences and simply allow them to realize that these resources are available to them as well. I personally did not visit a National Park until I was about 19 and my first visit had a life changing impact in my life. My connection and interest in naturals sciences emerged from animal documentaries and similar shows in television, but thanks to my visit to Yosemite National Park, I felt even more inspired to work hard to pursue a career in this field. Now I have the beautiful opportunity to make this connection possible for other people. My goal is to work with organizations that will allow me to bring Latinos to the park (especially those that have not had the opportunity to visit a National Park). I am currently planning the activities that will take place, but I can confirm that I will be leading hikes where I will provide information about the local wildlife, vegetation, the ecosystem and the ecology. I will likely conduct these hikes in both Spanish and English to cultivate a welcoming relationship among nature and the visitors. Along with the my scientific approach, I also intend on sharing a brief cultural history of Point Reyes due to the crucial nature of understanding and gaining the knowledge of the events that have shaped our history. The activities I will be responsible for conducting will be very inclusive to everyone, and my goal is to build a sense of belonging and togetherness among each other and our land. I am extremely fortunate that I have the opportunity to inspire people and I will do my very best to offer a great experience to everyone.

Muchas gracias colegas.