Hey, fellow conservation enthusiasts!

I know I haven't blogged as frequently as I would like to lately, so I'm going to catch y'all up on what Jeff and I have been getting into recently here at the Seashore.

With all of our beach training out of the way, most of our service time is…

My new boss, Kristen,  started today. She actually got her start in conservation work through the SCA working at Cape Lookout National Seashore for two summers as a Sea Turtle Intern. She then became a seasonal Biotech at Canaveral for sea turtles for a few summers, and her previous job was as a Refuge Manager of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS). She has returned to Canaveral National Seashore as the new Resource Manager, replacing long time, now retired, Resource Manager…

Sorry for the delay in updating you with what is going. yesterday was long and things just kept on Happening. I started writing early yesterday afternoon, but realized that I didn't want to be writing while my day was not yet finished. Kennedy space center was supposed to have launched a Delta IV rocket at 6:59 pm, so I wanted to include that. Unfortunately at 6:50 the one thunderstorm of the day decided to roll in and by 6:55 visibility was reduced so that the space center was no longer…

Today, when compared with the excitement of yesterday, was exceedingly uneventful. Caroline and I require government ID's to be able to use Canaveral's computers for the more glamorous side of our internship, data entry. Data entry is literally more glamorous than the field aspect of the turtle work, since we don't get filthy and disgusting after a day of sitting in our office, which is also the parks library. 

In order to gain access to the seashores computers we must have a…

This is my first post on the site, but my third week here at NPS! So far, we have been preparing materials for teacher workshops that we offer in the summer, in order to spread the word about our field trip programs here on the C&O Canal. I have also been working in the field by exploring the parks that we run, and my area at Great Falls National Park. The scenery is amazing, and my job is so cool! I love all of the people that I work with! So far, the past three years have been a great…

I am continuing to work with Brian on faunal analysis for the Cape Lookout site. We are finding much of the same thing as last week. So far there have been bits of charcoal, brick fragments, sand concretions, small metal fragments, along with shell and bone. The shell is mostly oyster and unidentified clam, however, we have also found some crab. We have found all sorts of bone. The majority is fish, which have included flounder, mullet, and sheepshead (teeth). I was also intrigued that…

Hey y'all!

I'm so excited and completely wiped out from today!

We were up and on the beach before the sun, taking bug repellent baths and loading up water to get ready for our first day of turtling. 

The thing about living in Florida is the thick, blanket-like coating of both sweltering UV as well…

It's quite comedic that last week I was complaining about getting up at 7:00 in order to arrive at the office at 8:00. This morning I had to bump everything up two hours because turtle training started at 6:00 in the morning. Upon our arrival at Headquarters, Rob, our sea turtler extraordinaire and instructor for  the day, sat down with us to discuss safety protocol and things that we may encounter on the beach. As can be expected Rob stressed the importance of staying hydrated in the heat,…

Serving in NH, with NH State Parks and Recreation as Park Staff. I'm glad to have a seasoned crew to work with at Silver Lake State Park, in Hollis, NH. I'm grateful for the work and the crew that I spend time with. We have gotten so much done so far this season, since May, for the state park, and every morning when I go in to work and raise that American flag and that New Hampshire State flag high up on that flagpole, I am proud to be serving NH State Parks, and making Silver Lake a great,…

Since it's the first week and we have yet to work on the beach directly with the nests, I thought y'all might like to see one of the sea turtles in the rehab center at Archie Carr!

Look at that beautiful guy! Carry on, lil champy. You're doin'…

Jeff and I have decided that, as a team, we needed a team name. There was this sick fire rescue vehicle resembling a small tank for emergencies out in the lagoon at FWS's facilities called Marsh Master. Our team name, Beach Masters, kind of stemmed from that. It just kind of adds to our hype when something awesome or exciting happens...because it's on the Beach Masters' watches!

Okay, enough cheese for one post. Onto the good juice.…

Today was another great  day at Canaveral National Seashore. I finally woke up early enough to bike to work. It's a great feeling knowing that I can be more environmentally friendly in my daily endeavors, and more active! The ride is only two miles, and it went by quite fast, especially on my bike (Cannondale Trail Sl 4), which performs well on the road but  is far more impressive on trails, and I prefer single track. Caroline and I arrived at Headquarters (the office) a little before eight,…

For this week I'm still in the Compliance Archaeology Lab and everyone is gone to do shovel testing out in the Osceola National Forest. First, I finished up a project Jessica was working on fixing errors in the catalog with lead shots from Fort Rosalie. We distinguished between bird shot and buck shot, weighed each, distinguished caliber, and whether it has been fired or not. 

After that I read over the proposal and research design for the fleet project lead by Chuck Meide working for…

Loyal Blog Followers,

I am excited to say that today was a super exciting day. Not much really happened. Caroline and I spent four hours in the sun along with Amanda and Carey taking the National ATV certification course. It's not a difficult course especially if you have an awesome instructor like Sean!. The worst part of the certification was the hot Florida sun beating down on us as we were driving around in circles, and occasionally figure eights, for four hours, but the good news…

I have been in the field with SCA for a little over two months and it has been amazing! I never thought I would be exposed to so much. Currently I am working with the Trail Town Program located in Greensburg, PA. The Trail Town Program works with communities along major bike passages for economic and community development. 

In my position I have had the opportunity to work on various projects. One project that I have been really excited about is our Trail Town Certified Network.…

Hey all,

It's amazing to see how much work goes on behind the scenes in a National Park. The work extends beyond the employees of the NPS to community volunteers. It's mind boggling that parks are able to accomplish so much with their volunteers, and at the same time scary to think about all the programs and work that wouldn't get off the ground or be accomplished if dedicated volunteers didn't help out. 

There's a bit of a theme catching on to my mornings, Caroline and I…

Good Evening Folks, 

Today was awesome! I'm not a morning person so I wasn't exactly enthused when the acting Resource Manager at Canaveral told my teammate and I to arrive today at 8:00 instead of 9:00. However, it was a new day and I am sort of used to having to be up early as my camp job (worked two weeks at a day camp before starting the internship) required me to be up that early. 

Upon arriving at work we worked the front desk until Edwin arrived. When Edwin walked in  he…

Hey all,

I am super stoked to be able to chronicle my internship experience at Canaveral National Seashore (CANA). As you follow my experiences through this blog, my hope is that you will come to understand who I am and why I chose to participate in this internship experience and feel as if you are right there with me throughout my endeavors. 

July 14  was my first day at the seashore. I arrived at the main office of CANA at 9:00 am with my roommate and research teammate…

Someone recently suggested that I post more information on the Dry Tortugas National Park. I just wanted to be clear, that I have never been there (though I would love to!) and I was not the one performing archaeological investigations there. I was the one handling the artifacts afterwards (analyzing, cataloging, etc.)

However, many people do not know of the Dry Tortugas park so here is some information and history of the site. The Dry Tortugas is made up of seven keys (Garden,…