22 Jul MARSHALL MORGAN – Why dO All Good Things Need to come to an end?

Greetings from the Flagstaff Area National Monuments! This week unfortunately marks the end of my LHIP internship and the end of my time at Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Wuptaki (at least for the 2021 season). I am extremely grateful for the experiences I’ve had and the memories that I’ve made over the past 10 weeks. I think back to my the beginning of my internship and how I was full of excitement but nervous to be starting a new job in a new city where I didn’t know anyone. However, these past 10 weeks have been full of nothing but amazing memories, people, opportunities, and experiences.

Some of the highlights from this past summer include:

• Serving as an ambassador for the Monuments and leading a tour consisting of members of the Arizona office of tourism, members of the city of Flagstaff government, reporters and trade personal from Guadalajara, Mexico and Mexico City, Mexico.
• Meeting with the Southern Arizona Office (SOAR) of the National Park Service in Phoenix, Arizona.
• Meeting with the Desert Research Learning Center based at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona.
• Meeting with National Park Service employees from local, state, and regional levels.
• Meeting with the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council

In addition to these highlights, some of my fondest memories from this summer are those I created with the amazing team of NPS employees, volunteers, and interns here with the Flagstaff Area National Monuments. Every member of the Flagstaff Area team made my time here with the monuments amazing and they are part of the reason why it’s so hard to say goodbye.

I am going to really miss everyone here with the Flagstaff Area National Monuments! But, I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to meet them and to create so many amazing memories with them! I hope to have the opportunity to come back and continue working for the Flagstaff Area National Monuments, as this summer has been one of the best experiences of my life!

Thanks for following along on my journey as an LHIP Education and Outreach Intern with the Flagstaff Area National Monuments!

Hopefully I’ll be able to write more blogs and share more experiences with you all next summer; but until then, don’t forget to keep exploring your National Parks!