Bald eagle along Snake River in Grand Teton NP

Let's celebrate our natural heritage!

I spent Earth Day kayaking on Snake River

Yesterday, I went on a kayaking trip down Snake River in Grand Teton National Park and reflected on my first two weeks in Jackson. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Earth Day. The sun was bright and the water was calm. I am lucky to be so close to so much public land. Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park are all in close proximity. I don't hear people talk about our natural capital very often. I ask everyone to consider how much Yellowstone National Park is worth to you? Yellowstone, along with other public land, belongs to us. Of course, there are restrictions on what you can do on public land, but it is there for our benefit. We should celebrate our natural heritage.

A bald eagle along Snake River 

In my role with Bridger-Teton National Forest, I get to work with the public. Along with other community partners, I will work to provide opportunities for everyone at Bridger-Teton. Last week, I attended a meeting for Teton 10 (http://www.teton10.org/), a new program that allows Jackson youth to access outdoor opportunities. Teton 10 is not a organization per se. It's a platform for kids to find recreational opportunities. Teton 10 is one of many ways that people can access public land in the Jackson area. At the meeting, there were many other organizations that work primarily in our public lands or near them.

 A Teton 10 event in action. Mary Cernicek of Bridger-Teton National Forest educates kids on campfire safety.

I understand that not everyone lives near Yellowstone or any national parks. I ask you to take a look in your town and research public land near you. In Worthington, Ohio, Highbanks Metro Park is a five minute drive from my parents' house. I understand that it is difficult to compare Highbanks to Yellowstone but I have always had a great time running, walking, and recreating in Highbanks. A fun fact about Highbanks is that like Grand Teton National Park, it also houses bald eagles. If there is public land near you, I'm sure you can find enjoyment in it. The Teton 10 meeting also introduced me to unique ways to use our public land. For example. one organization is planning an event in which kids will read a book then go on a hike that mimics events from the book.  How cool is that?

I should rephrase my earlier question and ask how much are our public lands worth to you? I hope that I can help people find enjoyment in our public lands while I am with Bridger-Teton. I also hope that I have motivated some people to get out to a park and have some fun. Let's celebrate our natural heritage!

A poster board that I made for a children's' event tomorrow. We're gonna educate kids on campfire safety!

Woke up at 5am for a sage grouse tour at Grand Teton NP. I only caught a glimpse of a sage grouse but it was a beautiful sunrise!

Take a walk with me on Putt-Putt Trail

Good view of Jackson, WY

After a gloomy day, the sky cleared up for a great view of the Teton Range.

I wear many hats

Hello everyone!

I have been working at the Bridger-Teton National Forest supervisor's office for 4 days now. I have spent most of my time familiarizing myself with the projects and programs that I will be helping with. I will primarily work on volunteer and community outreach with existing programs, like Bridger-Teton's Children's Forest (http://www.teton10.org) and programs with Friends of Pathways (http://www.friendsofpathways.org/).

A focus of my position will be to reach out to the Latino population and get them out to the forest. I will try to make Bridger-Teton's programs inclusive of the whole population in Jackson and surrounding areas. Also, documenting the programs through videos and pictures will be another responsibility of mine. To be honest, I'm not great with video cameras or familiar with editing software. I spent yesterday playing around with some of Bridger-Teton's equipment. Hopefully, I'll be an expert by the time I'm done with my internship.

I also will be helping with Bridger-Teton's sustainability action items. The Greater Yellow Coordinating Committee has suggested some things to make the Forest Service more sustainable (http://fedgycc.org/SOSOverview.htm). It will be my job to find a way to implement them. I still have a few people to meet with before this gets underway.

I have also sat in on some exciting meetings. I have attended a few meetings for the management of greater sage-grouse. I attended a congressional meeting with Lincoln County were we discussed a variety of topics. Today, I sat in on a meeting about elk feeding grounds. Mary, my supervisor, wants me to gain exposure to different departments in the office. I also will have the opportunity to go out into the field with the Jackson Ranger District. I get to go out for Antler Day! (http://www.fws.gov/nationalelkrefuge/Documents/05_01_12antlers.pdf) I heard people sprint to get antlers (antlers that have been shed) when the winter travel restrictions are lifted.

Aside from work responsibilities, I have been scheduled to attend fire school. I may get a chance to fight some forest fires! Forest Service staff are interesting because they serve many roles in the Forest Service and community. For example, my supervisor is the public relations officer but she is also a wildland firefighter. How cool is that?

I'll try to keep you all posted on my progress. Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Felipe

I saw some deer during an evening stroll.

Panoramic of National Elk Refuge

A map is my best friend

Hello everyone!

For those that don't know, I am a USDA Forest Service intern with Bridger-Teton National Forest through the New Year. I will use this blog to share my experience and stories with friends, family, and anyone that wishes to read about it.

I arrived in Jackson on Friday. The drive was long but surprisingly enjoyable, except for the times when Pandora stopped working. Twenty-six hours of driving later, I found myself in one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been - Jackson Hole. Driving in the mountains was an incredible experience, and stepping out of my car and smelling the Jackson air for the first time seemed to pump adrenaline into my body.

Jackson is a small town with a diverse population. There are ranchers that have been here for generations, people that come seasonally for the outdoor industries, people that work in the service industry in town, and immigrants (both Latino and European) that generally work in the service industry. For such a small town, Jackson has all the amenities that anyone needs. There is a Smith's (Kroger's for us Ohioans) and a Kmart, as well as many other stores. It makes sense though because many tourists come through Jackson.

I met with Mary, my Forest Service supervisor, on Friday evening for dinner with her and her family. I'm very grateful that Mary and her family welcomed me into town. They had just arrived to Jackson after a long trip as well, so they were tired but welcomed me anyways. Mary also invited me to go to Idaho Falls to spend Easter Sunday with her and her family. I again went on an amazing mountain drive. Mary spent the drive pointing out places that I will probably go during my internship or that I should check out. There were too many to keep track of! A map will be my best friend during the next few months.

After I got back to Jackson, I picked up a few things that I needed at Kmart and made an impromptu drive on Elk Refuge Road that goes through National Elk Refuge. It is a very beautiful area with the Teton Range in the background. I shot a panoramic video of one of the areas along the road, which I plan to post on here. My house is very close to the road, so I imagine I will go on many runs there.

I begin work tomorrow and I'm very excited for it. Mary and I will come up with game-plan tomorrow - initiatives, projects, programs that I want to work on and what I hope to accomplish by the end of my internship. I plan to share much of this information on my blog so stay tuned!

Cheers,
Felipe