09 Jan A Peek into the World of Natural Resources

Posted at 13:35h in Golden Gate National Recreation Area by
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Time flies when you’re having fun because somehow I have already completed 2 months of my internship. In that time I have planted endangered species, biked across the city, counted birds on Alcatraz and more. I will take you through the brief version of my second month of adventures in the golden city.

Working in natural resource management

In my position as a natural resource management intern in San Mateo County I assist with projects to restore, conserve, and monitor the natural landscapes of the parks. While the team I work with mainly focuses on vegetation, we work with the wildlife and other resource teams to manage the park ecosystems.

Management for the endangered Mission blue butterfly includes planting Lupine, which the butterflies use for egg laying and nourishment.
Conserving the endangered Hickman’s potentilla includes utilizing strategies like mulching the area when planting seedlings to prevent weed growth and conserve moisture so the plants have a higher chance of survival.
Jumping for joy on a day when we were planting potentilla in the rain.
Restoring a riparian wetland includes planting wetland species to serve as habitat for wetland species.
Counting the nesting birds on Alcatraz island is an important part of monitoring the wildlife populations.
Management for the endangered California Red-legged frog includes restoring wetlands, which for this pond means removing cattails that have become overgrown.
A selfie with all of the EFTA interns and Erik Grijalva, who oversees the vegetation teams in the natural resources department.

Having fun in the Golden City

My free time has been full of fun in the city with fellow interns in the park. I am very grateful for not only a job I love, but the wonderful crew I live with in park housing.

Danijela and I biked from Fort Cronkhite where we rode through a tunnel, across the Golden Gate Bridge, in Crissy Field, and down city streets to arrive at a farmer’s market in North Beach.
A mushroom and fungi festival we went to last weekend that had experts, educational material, and many fungi.
One of Angie’s famous .5 photos, with this being the first photo with all of the interns.
Back in November we planned a friendsgiving potluck for the house since many of us are far from home.
A view of Fort Cronkhite, which used to be military barracks and is now home to park housing and offices.
My car after we carpooled to Costco and bought a load of groceries together.
Danijela petting my favorite plant of all time… moss!!

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for some more adventures!

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