Hi Everyone!

  Having started back at the Flagstaff Area National Monuments for my second summer as an intern, I was excited to get back to the monuments and continue the work that I had started last summer. While I am an intern for the three National Monuments in the area (Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Wupatki), my primary station last summer and this summer is Walnut Canyon.

Walnut Canyon National Monument

As my internship start date was originally postponed due to a wildfire that had broken out in the area, it wasn’t until somewhat recently I was able to officially wrap up my first week at Walnut Canyon National Monument. And I have to say, the Monument was just as amazing as I remembered. I was truthfully quite nervous about returning because I wasn’t sure how things might have changed. There were certainly some changes with operations, and some of the amazing personnel I worked with last summer were no longer at the Monument. However, with that being said, the Monument still felt like home, and I was able to reunite with some of my friends and coworkers from last summer.

The reason I wanted to mention this is because it shows just how supportive the personnel is here at the FLAG Monuments. I know it’s a little cliche, but I truly feel like I’m part of a family at the Monuments here. Everyone wants to make sure that I get the most out of my internship experience, and everyone is extremely supportive of the Latino Heritage Internship Program (LHIP) and the mission of the organization!

As a result, I have had a chance to begin working on projects that I believe will be impactful for the local Latino communities and the National Park Service (NPS) as a whole. I can’t wait to keep you all updated on my projects and my experiences here in Flagstaff!

Thanks for taking the time to read my post, and as always, don’t forget to go out and explore your national parks!

Best,
Marshall Morgan Fabara