04 Nov Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Laura! I’m a student at UC Davis studying Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. I’m originally from Colombia, grew up in Florida, and have been living in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 5 years. Living in the Bay Area, I’ve had the privilege of hiking the gorgeous trails that surround the bay. As I hiked these trails, I always wondered how these trails were designed, what decisions were made and how they were maintained. Now that I get to work as an intern for Trail Construction and Maintenance for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, I will be learning what all goes behind the scenes of building and maintaining trails. Trails are the gateways to the outdoors; they are one of the first things visitors see and play huge role in protecting biodiversity, water quality, and safety for the public. They provide access to the natural, cultural and scenic resources of a park and enhance the visitor’s enjoyment of those resources. I’m so excited to learn how trails, stairs, retention walls are made and to be working with an awesome and knowledgeable crew! I am also excited to gain a significant number of skills such as handling power tools, maintenance and even wilderness first aid. As a trail construction and maintenance intern I will be focusing on construction the first six months and maintenance in the last six months. I cannot wait to share more on this year long experience!