The summer is flying by, as are my work weeks! Due to the different scheduling demands involved with trying to split time between different parks and different divisions, things have been a little strange with my schedule. It’s hard to believe I am finishing up my fourth week of work – especially since it’s only been three weeks in calendar days!
For the past two work weeks, I have had the pleasure of assisting the Natural Resource Management division with the establishment of a long term forest health monitoring project. We spent our days creating monitoring plots throughout the park and taking data on various indicators of forest health and the ecological impact of the white-tailed deer population. Over the course of the last two weeks, we set up 20 permanent research plots in total. In a few years, the researchers will return to collect more data in order to evaluate forest health trends over time. Since the plots are scattered randomly throughout the forested areas of the park, we spent a lot of time hiking the trails and fighting our way through the (sometimes very thorny!) underbrush to get to the very specific GPS locations that have been assigned. (We also met some horses who live on leased property in the park on our way to the trail!)
After we reached the plots, we set up our measurements and started taking data on the trees and plant species present.
On Saturday, since the biology team wasn’t working, I spent the day with Chief Meyers. The park was playing host to several trail races – a 10k, 25k, and 50k – so we checked in on the setup in the morning and continued to monitor the trails and roadways throughout the day.
After the trail races, Chief Meyers and I worked on navigation and orienteering around the park. While we were out, we stumbled on a motor vehicle accident that had occurred just outside of the park property. An elderly woman had t-boned another car at a 4-way stop. No one was seriously injured, but traffic was backing up and becoming hazardous, so we jumped out and Chief Meyers directed traffic while I tried to keep the woman calm and make sure she wasn’t injured. State Park Patrol from nearby Brandywine Creek State Park arrived on scene and assisted with traffic shortly after. Then there was a medical incident in our park, so we rushed to that scene, but it turns out it was just a dehydrated or overexerted runner who refused medical care from the ambulance. All in all, it was an exciting day, and thankfully one without any serious injuries.
After a couple of days off, it was back to trail work. We wrapped up the remaining nine plots over Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Although Wednesday’s plots were pretty challenging – both plots were taken over by thorny shrubs and vines – one of the highlights of my week was discovering a tiny bird’s nest hidden in a thicket of multiflora rose:
And with all that time in the field, I got a chance to practice my wildlife photography:
Since we finished with the vegetation monitoring work on Thursday, I finished out my week getting certified on the UTV (utility terrain vehicle) and patrolling the park with Chief Meyers. Not a bad way to spend a Friday!
Now it’s time for my first “weekend” that has fallen on an actual weekend! Next up, I’ll be back at Independence Hall working with the Cultural Resources division. See you guys next week! Page Break
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