Hello ProRangers and Park People!
A portion of my week was spent catching up on reports, doing park upkeep tasks, and getting myself ready for seasonal academy that starts in just a few weeks! Not every week can be action packed, but that doesn't mean I didn't get to do some awesome things!
One of the biggest highlights of my week was shadowing natural resources during their water quality testing. With perfect weather on our side, we conducted lake sampling on Little Beaver Lake. I helped launched their boat onto the lake and we spent the afternoon measuring and recording the quality of the lake. The National Park Service is one of the leading organizations in natural resource management and to ensure the standardization of all lake testing each sample we collected had a standard operating procedure.
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| Ranger Kainulainen driving the boat! |
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| Getting the boat out on Little Beaver |
| This net is one of many devices we used to capture water for testing |
For consistency, every month water sampling is conducted to check the general health of the lake, invasive species, and any other abnormalities. I watched as both rangers meticulously poured water specimens into pre-washed bottles without spilling a drop. To help, I wrote down the list of numbers produced by a special computer that measures multiple pollutants. While we worked, I asked them questions about working in natural resources and they asked me about visitor resource protection. I truly respect the work that they do and their affinity for environmental science, math, and resource management. Additionally, It was awesome to have an open dialog about what we do everyday and to share with them what law enforcement does in the park.
Another highlight of my week was our nighttime boat operation to check boater safety, out of bounds camping, and illegal fires in the backcountry. This is a weekly operation conducted during weekends when the park has increased visitation and camping. During the shift we checked multiple permits, contacted out of bounds campers and issued tickets to several people with illegal campfires.
Ranger Gosselin and I enjoying the cliffs after a solid night of boat patrol
Here's to hoping the days go slowly!
Until next time,
ProRanger Dover
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