C&O

This past Friday was a very special day. Some other ProRangers and myself were able to meet some very important National Park employees, including John Jarvis. There is an entire post by Sarah Rutter that discusses the details of this wonderful day.

I had a few hours of work remaining after this meeting and Clawson and I patroled the C&O Canal by bike. We were on the lookout for the usual problems that occur along the canal. We were on the lookout for civilians fishing without the proper license, civilians with dogs off leash, and with it being a Friday afternoon, people with alcohol and/or narcotics. For some reason, the C&O Canal was a bit lifeless that day. There were just hardly any visitors along the canal, so Clawson and I had a relatively easy afternoon.

On Saturday, I was stationed at Lock 34, located near Harpers Ferry National Park. Lock 34 is a destination where different tubing companies drop off tubers to float down the Potomac. Since these companies are using both the C&O Canal and Harpers Ferry to make a profit, the National Park service charges these companies a small fee for every tuber that comes through. This is a big problem area when it comes to alcohol. A person is legally allowed to have and consume alcohol in the Potomac River, however, a person is not allowed to be consuming alcohol on either side of the Potomac due to that land being National Park property. Our job was to properly inform the tubing civilians of these laws while also being on the lookout for civilians consuming alcohol. If we would of found anyone doing such a thing, we would of fined that person a ticket of $75 and made that individual dump all of their alcohol. On that day we found no one breaking any laws, only civilians enjoying the hot day by floating down the Potomac on a tube.

C&O Canal

This past week at the C&O Canal has been very cool as well as tiring. We were able to many different law enforcement tactics during this week. On Wednesday Josh Cunningham took Tia and myself to meet up with Matt Huescamp at the Training Center to learn some Defense/Control Tactics. This was a grueling workout that involved using jabs, elbows, knees, upper cuts, roundhouse kicks, and more. As we jabbed and kicked the stuffing out of Huescamp and Cunnigham they told us to yell, "Get back!" and "Stop! Police!" This combination of fighting a criminal and yelling commands was quite challenging for myself. This day was a good test of our endurance and was just so exhilarating.
The following day Cunnigham and Clawson took Tia and I to Four Locks, a shooting range. The whole day was dedicated to learning the in's and out's of a handgun. We were took the 228 apart several times, learned the basic safety information about the 228, learned about the proper bullets, and of course, how to shoot a gun. This had been my first time shooting a gun so it was quite the experience. We shot about four to five magazines from the five yard line. In the end, it was determined that Tia is a better shot than I am, but I don't mind because I have plenty of time to improve.
Friday and Saturday were dedicated to patrolling different trails located around the Great Falls area, mainly Billy Goat A. It was our job due dissuade visitors from taking a dip in the Potomac or from jumping off a cliff into the Potomac. Even though there are many signs up warning about the dangers of the Potomac, we continue to have many visitors venturing into the cool water. I also patrolled the trail for other dangers or hazards, but found nothing. I did, however, speak with many visitors and was able to answer many questions.

C&O Canal

Since my last blog I have began working at a different National Park, the C&O Canal. We transferred over to this particular park because George Washington Memorial Parkway does not have Law Enforcement Rangers. Tia and I have been working at the C&O Canal for a couple weeks now and it has been nothing but wonderful. We have done a lot in our short time at the Canal; we have mainly been patrolling by foot, bike, and vehicle along the vast tow path. Josh Cunningham has enabled us to participate in all of these different Law Enforcement activities. We have been able to meet Samson, the huge bomb sniffing black Lab. Tomorrow Tia and I will be learning defensive training, which I am really looking forward to. To be able to patrol by bike we had to go through a thorough bike training and this enabled us to efficiently and safely patrol the Canal.

One day we were patrolling the Billy Goat A trail with two L.E. Rangers and encountered a group of teenagers jumping off cliffs into the Potomac River, which is dangerous as well as prohibited. Tia and I watched from a safe distance as the L.E. Rangers wrote up the individuals and searched their belongings. One L.E. Ranger found a small bag of marijuana and paraphernalia in one man's backpack and then proceeded to write him a ticket. For our first bike patrol we rode alongside of Brad Clawson as we encountered many dogs off leash. Clawson issued warnings to all of the owners.

We were also given the opportunity to work at the 150th Anniversary at the Manassas Battlefield this past Thursday through Saturday, which was very exciting. I felt privileged to be able to work at such an important event. It was also nice to be able to work with my fellow ProRangers at such a great event. We worked together as a team to guide civilians through our makeshift parking lot to the different events around the National Park. Working this event enabled me to link up once again with Dave Ballum and Will Reynolds, which was nothing short of fun. Even though this working this event was a good time, it was very hot and we needed to be sure to hydrate and practice safety.

I have been missing GWMP and all the Park Rangers stationed there, but am loving my new home at the C&O Canal.

GWMP Blog Post #4

This past week was focused on interpretation. Tia and myself spent Monday through Wednesday at the Arlington House, which has the the most amazing view of Washington. We spent most of our brief time at the Arlington House shadowing the different interpretation Rangers. This enabled me to observe and really soak in the different techniques of interpretation. Tia and I shadowed about eight different Rangers, each having different ways of telling about the history of General Lee and the Custis'. Being able to hear each Ranger's version of the Lee and Custis history was thoroughly enjoyable and truly gave me insight on the many ways a Ranger can interact with and pass along their knowledge to visitors. Tia and I were lucky enough to be able to tour the magnificant Arlington Cemetary during our time at the Arlington House. We visisted the Kennedy grave site and were also able to view the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soliders. Seeing just how professional and put together the guards were was nothing short of motivating. I learned a great deal from the Park Rangers stationed at the Arlington House.

On Thursday and Friday Tia and myself worked at the Clara Barton House and Glen Echo. These two days were dedicated to helping Zach, a Park Ranger stationed at Glen Echo, put together a museum exhibit. The exhibit is all about civil rights and the integration of Glen Echo Park. Our job involved a lot of measuring, cutting, and mounting. It proved to be fairly difficult, but I love projects such as these and have never been involved with putting together an actual museum exhibit. Each of us were quite happy with the end result. Tia and I will be transfering to the C&O Canal tomorrow to begin working as Law Enforcement Park Rangers. I am sad to be leaving the Parkway and all of the wonderful employees of the Parkway, but am excited to start with the Law Enforcement aspect of the ProRanger program. I am also excited to work with new people and experience a new National Park. I will be writing about my first week at the C&O Canal in about a week so stay tuned!

GWMP Post Three

This week Tia and I have interacted with a lot of visitors, which was a first for myself. Before this week I had just been working with fellow National Park employees, but I finally was able to work with visitors. On Monday accompanied Ben to a visit to a woman who lives on the border of the park. The woman said she had a sneaking suspicion that her neighbor had illegally cut down trees, George Washington Memorial Parkway trees. We met with her for quite a while, surveyed the land, discovered that her neighbor had, in fact, not done anything to the National Park but may have broke some county laws, and thanked her for looking out for the National Park Service.

On Tuesday we worked with Barry in the green house. Barry told us all about a disease that is killing Elm trees and about the research that has been done to end this disease. Tia and I moved Elm saplings into bigger pots since they had nearly outgrown the pots they were currently in. Barry informed us that these Elm trees were intended to be planted on the National Mall, which I found to be particularly exciting. On top of moving the saplings into their new and respected homes, we also did quite a bit of pruning. Wednesday was quite an exciting day because Jackie Cunningham hooked us up with a VIP tour of Mount Vernon, which was amazing. Jackie, Tia, and I met up with Gail, an employee of Mount Vernon, and spent the entire day touring and learning about America's founding father, George Washington. I was able to learn an incredible amount about Washington in such a short period of time, all thanks to Jackie.

Today Tia and I shadowed Beth and Kevin at the Clara Barton House as they gave tours. I paid close attention to their different styles of touring and to the specific details they gave about Clara Barton and her home. Beth and Kevin asked us to make the type of bandages that Barton used so that they may pass them out to the children on the tour. Tia and I also spent a little time at Glen Echo and learned about the historic significance of the park. As an initiation, we were "forced" to ride the carousel. This was wonderful and I felt like I was five again, I was just a bit dizzier this time around. Tomorrow Tia and I will be stationed at Great Falls and I am really looking forward to it.

George Washington Memorial Parkway Post Two

This past Monday and Tuesday Tia and I worked with the Roads Crew. The Fourth of July is a huge event at the Parkway and requires a lot of work beforehand. Maintenence has to put up miles and miles of fencing to prevent cars from parking along the side of the Parkway, so we helped put up this fencing. We first put a stake in the ground every five feet or so by using a Man Killer, which made my arms very sore. We then attached the plastic fencing with zip ties. It was hard work, but I enjoyed talking and joking with the Roads Crew.

On Monday we met the Superintendent of Rock Creek Park and learned about her career history in the National Park Service. Learning about Tara Morrison's past experiences was very wonderful and motivating. On Tuesday we visited Ford's Theater and received a personal tour. The newly renovated theater is beautiful and set up very well. Hearing a fellow Park Ranger tell the story of Lincoln's last night was so amazing, I could actually visualize the chain of events. We were able to meet the Superintendent, Kym Elder, and hear about her career history in the Park Service. Once again, it was so motivating to hear about how many different things one can do within the Park Service.
On Wednesday Tia and I worked with the Tree Crew. Working with the Tree Crew was so much fun. I was able to go about 65 to 70 feet in the air in the bucket, which was was scary but exhilarating. One Tree Crew member, Tim, showed Tia and myself how to safely climb and take down a hazardous tree. While we took a small break in the shade to try and escape from the extreme heat a little fawn climbed out of the woods. The fawn was calling for its mother and then proceeded to slowly walk towards me. I stuck out my hand and the fawn gave my hand a little lick and ran into the woods, realizing that I was indeed not its mother. This event made me think back to P.D. Eastman's Are You My Mother?, a personal favorite.

Thursday and Friday we worked with Paul Walls, the Supervisor of Roads and Trails, where we put in a speed bump, maintained trails, and repaired a pot hole. It was very nice to see the variety of things that the Roads and Trails crew is responsible for. The first half of yesterday we worked with Jackie as a group of first graders came for a field trip. This was great because I love working with kids and Tia and I were again to participate in a different aspect of the Park Service. This was our last week at maintenance and I am very sad to say goodbye. Maintenance was so welcoming and they really showed us the ropes. George Washington Memorial Parkway maintenance employees are so wonderful and I cannot thank them enough for being so kind to us. Next week we will be doing interpretation work so stay posted!

First Official Week GWMP

My first day at George Washington Memorial Parkway was May 25th. My first week of the ProRanger internship has been nothing but wonderful. I have worked with many different employees of GWMP. On my first day I recieved a thorough tour of the National Park and was able to see almost all of the various memorials. My favorite memorial is the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial and this is my favorite because I learned that the sculptor created the statutes of the Marines in an unusual and creative way. The sculptor started from bone, then added on the muscle, and then finally added on the clothes. He did this so that the Marines would look as realistic as possible. Another interesting fact that made me fall in love with this particular memorial is the fact that people can send in their own personal American flags to be placed on the flagpole of the memorial.

On my second day Tia and I worked with Jackie Cunningham Davis, GWMP's Education Program specialist. We learned about her role in different education programs, such as S.C.E.P and S.T.E.P., the part she plays in special events, and about all the details and inner workings of the bookstores located throughout our National Parks. The following day we worked with Ernest Jutte and Desiree Seifert. The two spent a good amount of time explaining all the different aspects of Human Resources. We traveled to S.H.R.O. in Mannassass and worked in the office and learned how Human Resources can be described as "the jack of all trades and the master of none" (as Desiree put it).

Tia and I have now moved on to work with GWMP's wonderful maintenance crew. We worked in the auto shop and got down and dirty. Tia and I worked as a team as we changed the oil, changed the filter, and greased the underpart of a large maintenance truck. Today we worked with Kate, GWMP's landscape architect, and Luis, GWMP's civil engineer. We attended a meeting with Kate in downtown Arlington that was all about the ongoing renovation of Jone's Point. We later visited Jone's Point, Humpback Bridge, and Great Falls to learn about the technicalities of these projects. I have learned so much in my first week in the National Park Service and know that there is much more to learn. This is a picture of me working in the auto shop with Joe and Jones. More pictures will be posted tonight! Thanks for reading!