week 7 Shenandoah

Week 7

This is a little belated apologies.

Week 7 had us spending time with natural and cultural resources in the beginning of the week. We were talked to by some of the various supervisors about their jobs which many of them are biologist. This sparked my interest about the various programs they do to collect data on the various species of plant and animals throughout the park.. I would have like to get some more hands on, but they were not currently doing any projects. The highlight of our NCR experience was with one of the field techs took us down to the local river and showed us how to perform stream shocking which temporarily stuns the various fauna of the stream and then they are collected for research. I could not believe just how many fish and various aquatic insects came up to the surface when the shocking began... they are good at hiding!

We then went out with John a back country ranger who is in charge of various back country duties, but we learned about campsites and what makes them legal and or illegal. This was a great experience as John is vary knowledgeable of the local trails and where people like to camp. We tore down illegal camps and then pulled brush and dead trees over top of the sites to discourage future use.

I ended my week spending another day with dispatch. They impress me with their abilities to multi-task and provide fast and accurate information to the LE rangers who are waiting for the various types of information they require.

John Eichelberger