Sandy Hook- Week 12

As the summer begins to wind down, Ryan and I attempt to continue to find ways so that we do not have to leave Sandy Hook. Coming out here in the beginning of the summer, we were nervous about whether or not we would be a benefit to Gateway National Recreation Area and as it turns out we have been. We have assisted in many different activities such as, working traffic every Wednesday during our Beach Concerts, attending safety meetings and participating in summer events.

During our last week, we have worked our last Beach Concert and continue to rove around the park during the day when working traffic. On Wednesday, we also attended court in the morning. That was very interesting to see how the cases are carried out. I went into court thinking it would be somewhat like what we have all seen on television; however, it was nothing like that. They were productive during each case, especially when it was time to make a verdict. After court we a little quality time with one of our supervisors, just talking and making jokes since it will be out last week here. Then once we arrived back to the park we prepared ourselves for the concert that night.

We have gotten so used to our routine here that it will an adjustment once we return back to school. We will miss our supervisors and even the visitors that come into the park. It has been very excited, fun, entertaining and more importantly a great learning experience for us. I have learned so many different skills that I can use not only in Law Enforcement but in my everyday life. Hearing all the different stories about past seasons and other parks all over the United States, I am more grateful to be a part of this program and have this experience. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again on the 29^th and hearing how everyone’s summer has gone.

~Fallon & Ryan

Sandy Hook Week 11

Here are some pictures of the sights of Sandy Hook along with some of the exciting things we get to do on a regular basis. We have been working traffic recently but that does not make anything boring by any means. We have been given important details and we are asked to do unique things that different branches of Sandy Hook are getting involved in such as the pictures of the whale below. Our daily activities include making sure the parking lots are not full, if so they need to be closed with signs and cones and checked on every so often to see if they can re-opened. We have also been doing many lockouts. This is pretty fun and very easy once you learn to get into the car, but you always have spectators who think they know how to do it better and yell directions from 100 yards away, so sometimes the job is frustrating. We also do jumpstarts and provide tow numbers, locksmith numbers, and other services that might be needed on a piece of paper if people ask for them. Everyday is different this week for our free beach concert on wednesday we were expecting a large crowd and preparing for the worse but rain continued to fall and the concert was canceled leaving the rest of the night of work very quite. Recently on Monday there was a lightning strike here at Sandy Hook, it was during my day off and Fallon and I did not go to the scene but thanks to the help of some of our LE Rangers who were quick to the scene the man who was struck is still alive but in critical condition. It has been a pretty exciting week here at Sandy Hook and I hope you guys enjoy the pictures see you all soon.\

Ryan and Fallon

This is an all girls lifegaurd tournament Fallon and I Worked.



This is a dead Mink Whale which was towed to the shore of Sandy Hooks bayside to be examined for cause of death, age, and sex of the animal.





Here is Fallon touching the dead whale.



Fallon at the oldest fuctioning lighthouse in the country here at Sandy Hook











If you look closely you can see New York City in the background



Week 10

This week was full of different eventful days. On Tuesday, I attended the Wildland Firefighter Training. It was held at Delaware Water Gap. We started off the day by going over the online courses and refreshing our memory of the vocabulary used during a fire. We also went over the hand tools and how to communicate appropriately with each other in the field. After lunch we hiked a mile up a mountain with our hand tools and began to use them as if we were preparing to put out a fire. We stopped and talked about how far apart we should be from the other members when making our line. We talked about how we should set ourselves up according to what tools we had. After that we hiked back down and learned how to clean the hand tools and sharpen them so that they would be ready for the next time they needed to be used. Once we finished with that, we moved onto the hoses and how to use them. The last thing we did for that day was practice using our fire shelter. The instructors gave us 30 seconds to remove the shelter from our packs and set them up correctly. They came around and tugged on each end of the shelter and let us know why we needed to have them on properly. To conclude the day we spoke a little more on safety and to always speak up when we did not feel safe or comfortable. Unfortunately, because of all the activity we were doing, I was not able to get any pictures of me during the training. We were asked to leave cameras and phones in a safe place.



Visitors at the Beach Concert



Wednesday, I worked in the office for the majority of the day. I input the tickets into the computer as a reference. That way when the officers need to look for a report they can just go into the document pull it up and get all the information that they need. In between doing that, I attended a safety meeting. There everyone talked about what safety hazards and potential safety hazards within the park that needs to be fixed. Good thing is that majority of the things that were on the list have been fixed. Later that evening, I worked our weekly beach concert. Since we have the Piping Plovers at Sandy Hook and they are endangered, I was assigned to make sure visitors stayed out of the nesting areas as the concert was going on. Before the concert ended, I assisted in helping a mother and father find their missing children on the beach. They were reunited in 20 minutes. I was really glad that I was able to help because I know that any parent would be worried about their children, so it was important that we found them.

Thursday, we picked up government vehicles that were fixed and installed with lights. After picking up the vehicles, we assisted in looking for a vehicle related to an arrest. For the next few days we did traffic, which included driving around and opening and closing parking lots when they were at full capacity. We were taught how to assist in a lockout. This involves using a wedge into the car door and using a bag to expand the space between the car door. Then use a long wire to press the unlock button within the car door.

Week 7 Fee/Dispatch

This week we worked with Fee and Dispatch. Our schedules were divided up the first two days between them.  The first day Ryan worked in Dispatch while I worked in the Fee Booth.  We had to greet the visitors as they came into the park to use the beach. Since we were the first people that the visitors see when they come into the park, our Fee Supervisor stated that we needed to wear our flat hats, so that we can show them the traditional Park Service look. During our time at Fee we sold daily passes, season passes and passes for Senior Citizens. Our first day there we watched the employees as they dealt with the visitors and then after break we took over. We also learned how to count the passes for the day, make sure everyone had the right amount of passes they needed for the next day so that everyone was prepared. We worked on the Fourth of July weekend because it was going to be a busy day at the beach. Instead of taking turns with our trainers we worked the entire shift by ourselves, with them being close by just in case we needed any assistance.

While working at Dispatch, we had to answer the phones and talk to visitors as they came into the Ranger Station. We were given the Sandy Hook Compendium which had information on everything in park. It listed information on Pets not being able to be on the beach, the hours of the Visitor Center, how to obtain a permit for the Chapel and other crucial information so that when visitors would call, we would be able to answer them accurately. In addition to that we would give directions on how to get to the park for the Beach concerts, what other fun events were taking place for families at Fort Hancock and along the Bayside. We gave out fishing permits, handled lost and found cases, and even handled a first aid case when a visitor came in with a hook in his finger. We were also taught how to use radios and the Phonetic Alphabet. One of our Dispatchers showed us how to look up information for traffic stops on their computer systems. Ryan and I were both given a chance to dispatch and use the radios during our shift. We were also taught how to take down information quickly and precisely for the records. We were taught how to communicate that information so that we were not giving away unnecessary information.

Working in Fee and Dispatch was a great learning experience because we really needed to know our information about the park and the beach. Visitors always have questions so we always need to be prepared and that is one of the greatest things to take away from that. Communicating with each other is also another great thing that we learned. Dispatch is another division that holds everything and everyone together. They have to communicate with all the employees and need to know what their location is at all times. So for when there are those “what if” moments they are always prepared and ready to go.  In one incident, there was an issue with people walking into the Piping Plover nesting area, so the visitors called the Ranger Station to have them send someone out to take care of it. Without Dispatch, we would not have that “go to person” to let us know when fix any problems within the park or help look up essential information when it is needed.

Week 9 from Sandy Hook

The endangered Piping Plover

After leadership camp Fallon and I jumped right back into it working for resource management. We had many opportunities throughout the week to deal with many different types of animals. Being in an ocean habitat there are a variety of different types of animals that resource has to do deal with. The animals we spent the most time on was the piping plover. The plover is an endangered bird that migrates to sandy hook to nest for the summer time and raise their young. With over 40,000 people coming to the beach on a single day on the weekend you can see why these birds may need some protection. Nesting areas are marked with signs and ropes with clear signs telling people not to enter these types of areas. This areas also contain an endangered plant, sea beach amaranth. On weekends employees are posted at the beginnings of these areas to try to keep the sandy hook patrons out of these types of areas on the beach. People are usually mad and can not understand why would we not allow them onto the beach that they paid to get on. It is tough to tell people no but it has to be done to preserve these endangered species.

We also got the opportunity to release harp seals into the ocean. The seals had to been rehabilitated from injuries they had sustained and were deemed able to be released back into the wild. They are released at sandy hook because it is the most northern tip of Jersey beaches. After being released the seals greeted each other which we were told is a good sign and could possibly mean that they are going to migrate with one another to the north where they spend their summers until they travel south again. It was really awesome to see the seals back in the ocean and swimming around.

We also had the chance to band osprey. Osprey nest on sandy hook in nests that are built for them by the staff here. This year we had more osprey then any other year and we had the chance to band them when we brought them out of the nest. Most of the nests had about three birds but some of them had two. The birds we banded were about four weeks old and had full sized wings and talons but could not fly. We made sure they were banded and the number on the band was recorded.

Overall we dealt with many animals and gained a wealth of experience about this specific field. The whole week was interesting and every day we did something new which made the week go extremely fast. We really enjoyed our time at resource management.

-Ryan and Fallon

Our week with Administration

Battery Weed at Ft. Wadsworth

Last week we were able to work with Administration in Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island. Since Gateway has three separate locations, Sandy Hook, Jamaica Bay and Staten Island, they need to have one central location where the entire important decision making happens. Monday we went up there with our supervisor and we were introduced to every all the Human Resource workers and some of the people who work with the budget. We spoke with them for awhile just to see how everything gets handled, as far as, the application process and how to work together with HR to work out small issues that the other parks within Gateway may be dealing with.

Tuesday, we were able to drive ourselves there. Once we got there, they did not have too much stuff for us to do, so we took that time to walk around the Fort. It is a different area than we are used to seeing and it is a part of Gateway so we felt that we should take this opportunity and walk around. We were given a small tour of the Coast Guard base and housing area by two girls from the visitor center. We also assisted them with putting up flyers for their Jr. Ranger program that they are having in July. After that we tried to find our way to the Floyd Bennett Field, but unfortunately, we were not able to find the correct entrance into the field. Later that day, we helped set up for our summer annual Beach Concert at the Hook. Every Wednesdays, we have concerts on the beach; different bands come out, we have a stage and dance floor set up for everyone to come out and enjoy themselves.

Wednesday we were supposed to work the concert; however, due to the rain the concert was cancelled. So we went down to the lot and helped take down all the cones that we had set up the night before, so that the parking lot was no longer blocked off. We also took that time to get ourselves prepared for Leadership Camp next week.

Thursday, we were asked to return back to Staten Island to see the step by step process of dealing with applications that are sent into the office. Unfortunately for us, they did not have all that they wanted to show so we worked on some other things for them. In a way we actually got a hands-on view of the process. We were asked to go through the applications and make sure all the paperwork was signed. If an applicant did not have all the signatures we had to move them to a separate pile and if they were all filled out correctly we moved them to another pile.

 

Fallon looking through applications

I know that we were able to help them out by doing this, because they were able to get more work done that they needed to do with our help. In return we got to see what it felt like to work in Human Resources. On Friday, we stayed at Sandy Hook and worked with Grace; she works out of Staten Island but comes to Sandy Hook twice a week to do some work here. We helped her find case files that needed to be pulled and ready to go to court. We also filed new case incidents so that they would be ready if anyone needed to locate them. She taught us how to input the information onto the computer so that when we went into the cabinets we would be able to find them easily.

Filing cabinets that holds all of the criminal cases

Working with administration was very eye opening for me because there's more to administration than what many believe there is. As we mentioned before, maintenance is what keeps the park up and running and administration is what keeps the people up and running within the park. Without them, we would not be able to have all the people here to keep the environment of Sandy Hook safe and comfortable for our visitors and coworkers. Administration is a major part in how to deal with certain issues when things are trying to get done. We learned that when there is a situation where something may conflict with one policy but it falls under another policy and it needs be done, HR is there to help make the best decision on how to handle it with the best interest of the park. Most people are afraid to speak to administration because they feel that they be bothering them, however, the people at administration are here to help, answer questions and solve problems. So don't be afraid. =)

With Love,

Fallon and Ryan

P.S. Due to technical difficulities I had to post the blog this morning instead of last night.

Week 5 From Sandy Hook

This week Fallon and I were priveledged enough to participate in the structural firefighter refresher. This is an experience that many people will not have because many National Parks do not have thier own fire department only ones to do wildfires. The first couple of days in the refresher we were visited by many guest speakers who talked to us about the different dangers of structural fires and how sometimes fire reacts differently in different scenerios. We also went over the proper prodedures involved in treating HAZMAT materials. The first day of action we were given fire suits to wear which included a jacket, helmet and gloves. It made us feel like part of the fire fighting team and it was really awesome. We were taught how to hook up the hose to the truck and also to a hydrant.

The next couple of days we traveled to Monmouth County Fire Academy and walked through multiple scenrios during the whole day. They had a house that made of metal and fire retardent walls that was lit on fire and everyone had to go into the building and put out the fire and navigate their way through the smoke and work together to achieve the goal. Me and Fallon were in charge of accountability which is keeping track of who goes in and out of the building and making sure that everyone remained safe. Even though the people in the department have been doing this for years people still panic and can run out of oxygen which could cause an emergency. We marked the time in and out of the fire and held the tags of the people who were in and gave them thier tags back when they came out. The last day we did car fires and the proper procedures involved in that. We went over the right way to approach the fires and the dangers that can arise from a simple car fire, such as magnesium fires, and tires and windows exploding.

It was an amazing week that was extremly interesting and a great learning experience that I know many people will not be able to experience during the time in thier parks. Everyone made us feel like an important part of the department and it was a week that went by too fast for us. We hope that everyone is enjoying thier time as much as we are and we will see everyone at leadership  camp.

Peace and Love,

Fallon and Ryan

Week 4: Sandy Hook

With our last week in maintenance, Ryan and I worked at the water plant. Every morning we began the day by helping run samples within the water and wastewater treatment plants. Some of the samples that we tested included, pH, turbidity and chlorine residual. On our first day, we took our tour of the plants. We were able to learn more about the operation and the maintenance procedures that needed to be conducted at both plants. After our tour we had to replace a broken yard hydrant at one of the pump stations. The original pump froze which led to it cracking.

On our second day, we went back to our daily routine of cutting grass. However, this time we had to cut the grass around the pump stations so that when it was time to check on them it would be easy to get to the pump station rather than climbing over the high grass. Another job that we did that day was assist our supervisor for that week, with pumping down one of the scum pits of the primary clarifier located in the wastewater treatment plant. This was important for us to do because if we did not get to it in time the plant would begin to smell and there could possibly be an overflow of waste. Then that would result in a large mess that no one would be happy to clean up. It was also a good learning experience for us as well, because I know I never really though about where all our waste goes and what affect it can have on our community. Our last day at the water treatment plant was an easy day. We did our daily routines of checking the pump stations, recording data and then we had to replace a vent pipe at one of the pump stations. The original vent pipe was worn out and rusted, so we replaced it with a more friendly, easy on the eye, PVC pipe.
After working at the water treatment plant Monday-Wednesday, we switched over to another division within maintence. On Thursday we helped out the North Maintenance crew by painting doors in one of the houses for an incoming supervisior. That day it was really hot outside so it took us awhile to paint. The crew wanted to take it easy that day so that no one would dehydrated due to the heat. Friday, we helped out by cleaning the showers at the beach lots. We also used the leaf blowers to clean up the sitting areas so that it would have a better appearance for our visitors. Later in the day we assisted with setting up for the weekly beach concerts here at Sandy Hook. We checked out the stage to make sure that there were no nails out of place and that it was safe for people to be on it with their equipment. We helped locate buried cables for the shows by digging them out of the sand. Today was the first concert for the summer. The turn out was amazing and every time I looked at the stage I thought of how Ryan and I were able to be a part making this event happen.
Now that we are officially done working with maintenance Ryan and I are able to look at all the work we have done over the past two weeks and really be proud of our work. Even with the smallest things like cutting the grass, we can still look at it and say, "Hey, look what we did. Look at how beautiful this park is". We both really did enjoy our time with them and when we hope everyone experiences a great time with what ever department they are working in.

With love,
Ryan and Fallon

Week 3 Photos: Getting Our Hands Dirty

Here are some of the pictures of what Ryan and I have done with maintenance so far. Ryan already posted a blog explaining everything but here's another recap. So the first few days with maintenance we planted flowers at the front entrance of Fort Hancock. It was really important for us to do this because when the visitors come to the Fort this is the first thing that they see. First impressions are very important so we made sure to do our best and make sure the park looked good. Unfortunately, they gave us flowers that are not suppose to be out in the sun all day however, our flowers are still up and blooming even after little over a week.

Before.

After.

Another thing we did while working with maintenance was help upkeep the lawns along the roads and in the parking lot. I never used a weed wacker before, I know sounds funny, but everyone helped me out. Soon enough I think I'll become a professional after our time with maintenance. Ryan spent a lot of time mowing the lawns. He said that he enjoyed mowing the lawns and after looking at his work, everything looked really good. Now every time we drive by the lots, we can look back at what did and be proud of it. With my time working with maintenance I have a greater appreciation for them. They work 8 hours a day in all weather conditions and it takes a lot of time to make sure everything is presentable. Anyone can cut grass but the hard work and dedication to get the job done is harder than it appears. 

Ryan mowing the lawn while he poses for the camera. 

Here I am getting ready to use the blower to help clean up along the road.

Well we hope everyone continues to enjoy their time at their parks. Until next time...

-Ryan and Fallon =)

Week 3 Sandy Hook

During our third week here at Sandy Hook Fallon and I were assigned to the South Maintenance division which mostly takes care of the landscaping, garbage pickup, and the rest of the daily activites to make the park look beautiful. Every day started at 6 am and every employee was always on time and ready to work. In the mornings we would have a meeting to discuss the days jobs and what crews were going to do what.

The first day we were assigned to dig up the ground around the Fort Hancock sign and plant flowers to make the sign which everyone sees look very nice. We spent time to make sure the plants were lined up and evenly spaced apart then watered them. We then got mulch to spread around the flowers. The rest of our day we spent doing some mowing throughout the park. The rest of the week we spent starting our day with garabage picking which is extremly important. Sandy Hook has a carry in carry out garbage policy which obviously is not obeyed to the tee so it is South Maintenances job to make sure all the beach's look nice before people come to the park in the morning. After that we went out with a crew to make sure the grass around the roadways was cut, the weeds were whacked, and that all the trimmings were blown off the road to make the park look nice.

The hours were long and hot but the work was extremly rewarding. Not at one point did anyone we worked with complain and everyone seemed to be very proud of the work that they did throughout the day, driving by it afterward and seeing what they had done to improve the beauty of the park. Without these people working everyday there would probably be no park to come visit. The grass would be overgrown and the beaches would be over run with garbage. Sometimes these are the people in parks that go unseen and we would like to take this time to thank them for all thier hardwork and dedication to improving the beauty of all National Parks.

*On a negative note for whatever reason the pictures we have taken will not upload so hopefully there will be pictures to come.

Peace and Love to all,

                 Ryan and Fallon

Ryan and Fallon's First Week in Gateway

During our first week at Gateway Fallon and I worked for interpretation from Wednesday to Sunday. In our time with interpretation we were familiarized with all of the historical monuments that Sandy Hook has to offer. From there we were assigned a project to run extension cords and lights in a place called the Mortar Battery. The Mortar Battery had not been toured in over ten years and was recently renovated to make this area tourable. One of our supervisors dreams before he leaves Sandy Hook in June was to see the Mortar Battery toured and completely lit and we were able to make that dream come true. For those of you who do not know what a Mortar Battery is, it was used for protection of the New York Harbor and consisted of twelve mortars which shot twelve inch projectiles high into the air with the goal of penetrating the wooden decks of possible impending European war ships. We spent two days running extension cords and lights and properly placing picture cards of the period in the rooms where they belonged to show how the mortar battery was run and what it looked like. 

Ryan giving us a great pose in the Mortar Battery

Fallon and I then began to get comfortable here at Gateway and were given the opportunity to escort a lantern tour given by war rein-actors which was an extremely cool experience. We were there to make sure all of the participants on the tour remained safe and answered any questions that they had.

We then moved on Saturday to guide our own tours at Battery Potter (once home to two 12 inch guns to protect the harbor) and the Sandy Hook lighthouse which is the oldest active lighthouse in all of the United States. We both did very well leaving all of our visitors questions answered.

 This week we have been working with Law Enforcement and have been attending the law enforcement refresher here at sandy hook. Our duties are to assist with anything requested of us by our supervisor. More then that we are getting an in depth look into the inner workings of the law enforcement here at sandy hook and how complicated it is. We have had many guest speakers ranging from the park police to SWAT negotiators. Below are some pictures which include the correct way to approach a crime scene along with what a law enforcement dog is trained to do. Just within the two days we have gained a wealth of knowledge and have gotten an in depth look into the law enforcement of the National Park Service.