I think that one of biggest highlights of my experience so far was way back in the beginning of the season on the second day of crosscut training. Not only was it our first day where we actually kind of got to work but it also was my first time getting to crosscut. In addition to that, once we got passed the ridiculously steep part of the trail, hiking that area became quite enjoyable. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and hiking through and working in waist-deep snow was so much fun! This is one day that I will always remember and cherish.

Another highlight was our first hitch. The hike in sucked…a lot. But it was all so much better when we got to our campsite. It was so beautiful, and waking up to the sun gleaming into my tent and looking out from my tent out to the lake and the beautiful, serene sunrise beyond the mountains was such a wonderful experience. In addition to this, we got to crosscut on the first and second days of hitch, which I enjoyed so much and appreciate even more now that we haven’t done it in so long.

Our second hitch is also rather memorable, but for rather different reasons. The hitch itself was a difficult one. We had so many issues with our bear hang, our water storage bag was lost down the river, one of our cooking stoves broke, my finger got smashed between two large rocks, and the work was beyond boring. But this hitch also really did wonders in bringing our crew together and dispelling the tension between us. Since this hitch, our crew has been so much closer and has gotten along so much better. It did, unfortunately, come with the price of collective dislike of our crew leader, but I really think it all has turned out for the better, overall.

Midweek also stands as a rather significant highlight of my summer experience insofar. For one, it was a nice break from work and I learned a lot during the career tour and the classes. It was also really nice to see everyone from the other crews again. I also got to go horseback riding, which I had been wanting to do all summer and it so much fun! And then there was July 4, which goes down in the books as one of, if not the, best of all July 4ths I’ve ever had. In addition to that, I also got to see Spider Man: Far From Home in the historic theater in Estes Park, which was pretty awesome.

Finally, just this past week, I found working at Meadow Trail to be rather exciting as well. Swamping for one of our USFS supervisors and seeing trees being felled up close and personal was such an awesome experience and made for a great change of pace. I also got to debark some trees, which is pretty fun. In addition to this, I’ve really seen such great comradery with our crew this week, with one great example being when one of the girls just yelled in frustration at a rock that wouldn’t come out and then another guy yelled back, then I yelled, and then we were all just yelling out, releasing frustrations with that trail and then just laughing at our shared state of mind. Good times!

If you ever find yourself in Rocky Moutain National Park, horseback riding is a really fun activity. Here’s a link!

The Leadership and Change course covers a rather great deal, all of which is important to know in order to better understand change and leadership and how the two are interconnected. But there are three main takeaways to be had from the course: change is a process, it takes time, and it is necessary.

In relation to my crew specifically, this very much rings true. All of us, as individuals, are undergoing change, as being in Colorado and/or doing this sort of work is very new for each of us. In addition to that, we as a crew are experiencing change. From the very first week in the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, we had a lot of adjusting to do as we camped out all week, learned about the program, adjusted to a new schedule, and met so many new people. It was difficult during this time to really form any connections within our group and to strengthen crew cohesion. And then, after training week ended, we still had difficulty bonding, as we went through another rather significant change— we left Moraine Park campground and all of the other crews to move into our homes, away from the other crews, at Shadow Mountain. And from there, we went through more days of training for two weeks before getting to start work, when we very quickly began our first hitch, bringing on another set of changes. It has taken some time and there have been difficulties and some not-so-easy conversations, but our crew has definitely come together much more than how we were in the first week, and I am excited to see how much more we grow individually and collectively in the following time we have together. But if we had not transitioned, if we had had remained stagnant, while undergoing these changes, then we would not have faired well and our crew would be far from cohesive, which would bring about problems in our personal lives and in our work. It has taken time, but the changes we have undergone are necessary.

In a more broad sense, the topic of change can be related to our work and what it is that we work towards. As part of the Conservation Corps, we work in the National Park and National Forests of the Rocky Mountains to protect and conserve these natural areas and their resources while also maintaining these places in such a way that people may visit them and enjoy being in the outdoors and experiencing nature in all its beauty. But as circumstances in these spaces change and as understanding of various aspects of the natural world change, our work and our approach to our work must also change, as it is vital for the health and life of the very areas we strive to protect. For instance, in past years, it was believed that wild fires were disastrous and harmful to the wild, and thus fire suppression was heavily utilized. But in recent years, it has been realized that fire is a part of the natural world and it plays an integral role in the ecosystem, thus making it beneficial and even vital for the wild, despite our previous assumptions. So, instead of continuing to suppress fire and exacerbating and already serious predicament, new methods were put into place, such as prescribed burns. If you would like to learn more about how fire is beneficial for the ecosystem, visit this site.

There is not much that I remember from LDR 2162: Leadership in Groups and Communities, unfortunately. But one thing that stood out to me and that is quite relevant to my summer experience with the Rocky Mountain Conservancy is that of the group relations, the time it takes to develop as a group, and the stages the group goes through.

During the first week, training week, everyone was pretty distant as we all learned each other and figured each other out. It was also hard to really form relations in our crew because we were surrounded by people from other crews as well, so the first week that we had parted ways with the other crew and settled in at our site, we were still really just getting know each other.

I would have thought that, by now, our crew would be like family (and it certainly seems as though this is the case with other crews); however, we’ve been together not for a full month and only since this past backcountry hitch has our crew really bonded. We had been getting better little by little, but the hitch really helped us to all form much better relationships. Prior to this, there had been a good deal of tension. This tension, unfortunately, greatly arises from our crew leader.

The crew leader I believe has potential, but it is very clear that she has issues with certain people on the crew and she treats them differently. She also talks about them behind their back. In addition to this, she gets very easily offended, taking things the wrong way often, especially when it comes from one specific crew member. Also, she does not explain things well and quickly becomes frustrated and temperamental when any of us ask questions or make suggestions. For instance, when building a water bar, there was a gap between the rocks that we needed to get rid of, so someone suggested packing it with dirt. Instead of using this as a teaching moment and saying, “I like the way you’re thinking and I appreciate your suggestion. Unfortunately, we don’t want to do that because…” she got angry and retorted, “I know what I’m doing, okay.” Currently, we crew members are trying to figure out how to address the issues we have with our crew lead so as to make our experience here better.

Aside from this, however, our crew is getting better and really bonded over our struggles on the last hitch. It started on the first day when putting up the bear hang. Bear hangs are difficult as is, but this one was being especially annoying. Once we finally got it up, one side broke. So we fixed that side, and then the other side broke. By this point we were all frustrated, but we stuck together and supported each other until we finally got it up. We continued to have issues throughout the hitch (including the breaking of the bear hang again), but we battled through them together, which really helped us to bond. Overall, working and serving in a group is not an easy task, and it takes time to develop good group relations. And groups can work very well together with or without good leadership; however, the lack of good leadership and the presence of one single individual who brings negativity to the group can really impact group relations and group functionality

Here’s an article on how negative leadership can impact a group.

This is a bit of a complicated topic, as I am working with the U.S. Forest Service as a member of the Conservation Corps of the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. Insofar, I have only just finished the second week of my summer experience, with the first week being training, dealing heavily with the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. This past week is the only time I have had in working with the US Forest Service, but it has been mostly training related, having attended the Wilderness Ranger Academy for a couple of days and then training and being certified as an A level crosscut sawyer. That said, relating my experience to LDR 2101: Leadership Theory is rather difficult, but I shall do my best.

On the last day of Wilderness Ranger Academy, there was a wilderness career panel for which a few U.S. Forest Service employees spoke of how they got to work for the Forest Service. In addition, they also offered advice for what we should do if we wanted to work with the U.S. Forest Service. From this panel and from my experience in the crosscut training and evaluation, I gathered that they highly value people who are driven, who are self-motivated, who want to learn, and who are varied in their skills. I think I fit in quite well with the organization in regards to such values, as I am driven to do well and to push myself to learn new things, improve upon my skills, and to do my best. Additionally, the mission of the U.S. Forest Service is “to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations” (US Forest Service). I am majoring in Environment and Society and am very involved in environmental improvement-related organizations and activities because I care very much about the environment and conserving and protecting what is left, thus demonstrating how I fit with the organization as it concerns their mission.

From what I could tell, primarily based on orientation, the Rocky Mountain Conservancy strives to be inclusive of diverse cultures, genders, ethnicities, and so forth. In terms of how I fit with this organization and their ethics, I also strive to be inclusive of others despite differences.

As it concerns leadership style, I have yet to determine how I fit with either organization. The first week was training week, with 30 of us all in one campsite and all of us learning all of the background information of the Rocky Mountain Conservancy and of various skills, ranging from First Aid to packing backpacking bags to Leave No Trace to cooking in the backcountry. A lot of the time I spent during this week was actually with people on other crews and who I will likely not see again until midweek. The second week was again spent mostly learning various skills, and my crew was fairly often separated. Thus, because of my inability to really work with my group and with our USFS supervisors, it is difficult to tell just how my leadership style fits with that of the U.S. Forest Service or the Rocky Mountain Conservancy.

By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about the U.S. Forest Service, check out their website: https://www.fs.fed.us/

On May 27th, I will be heading to the Tallahassee airport to take my seat on the plane that will start me off on my journey to Denver, Colorado. From there, I’ll be taken to Estes Park for orientation and then will start my service on the Shadow Mountain conservation crew in the Arapaho National Forest. I will be living in a cabin with this 6-man crew and working alongside them for nearly 3 months. The work we will be doing is the most varied of the 5 separate crews, with our duties ranging from general trail maintenance to backcountry patrols to more specific projects, such as stream crossing repair, turnpike construction, and trail kiosk installation. All of this we will be doing under the Rocky Mountain Conservancy as part of the AmeriCorps.

I am beyond excited about this experience! For 2 years now, I have been a part of and heavily involved in FSU’s Environmental Service Program. Each Saturday, the organization goes out for 2-3 hours to work on an environmental conservation project, whether it’s dip-netting in their adopted ephemeral wetland, weeding invasive plant species, planting trees, helping at St. Francis Wildlife, or any other environmental improvement project. This program has been one of the absolute best parts of my time at FSU, and I always look forward to the Saturdays I get to spend outside and helping the environment, so the prospect of going out and working in a national park, doing conservation work nearly every day, and being around people who love the environment and this kind of work as much as I do is so exciting! I can hardly wait to the be out there! Plus, it will be quite the adventure, as I have never traveled much and have never been further than North Carolina/Tennessee (I live in south Georgia). Figuring out how to navigate the whole airport and commercial airline thing is a bit daunting, but I know it will be totally worth it once I’m out there. If my alternative spring break trip is any indicator, I imagine the months will fly by.

I’m also excited for this particular experience because it can help me to figure out whether this field of work is something that I would like to pursue after college. Currently, I am working for Sustainable Campus of FSU, and though I greatly enjoy the work I do, I do not foresee it being something that I would enjoy doing as a career. By serving on this conservation crew, I will not only learn a great deal of different skills I can carry with me, but it will also help me to decide if the conservation track is right for me. Additionally, the AmeriCorps experience will hopefully help me in getting into and being successful in the Peace Corps, a goal I have in mind for post-graduation. All in all, there’s a lot to look forward to!

If you’re interested in learning more about the Conservation Corps or want to follow the adventure, you can check out the Rocky Mountain Conservancy’s blog!