I would describe Week 5 as open, relaxed, and one of the most important weeks so far! We've stepped up our game working on the Youth Summit, and I'm excited to see where our work takes us. I am specificallyexcited to be working on part of the Open Spaces discussion we will have at theSummit. Each intern will lead a discussion group on a topic of their choice,and I think I'm going to choose something like The Economics of Conservation. Iwant my discussion to talk about the tradeoff between economic growth andenvironmental protection, with a focus on Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller. If I canpull this off, or something similar, I will be thrilled!
This week,I also had the chance to do the Robert Frost walk: a ranger-guided walk thatstops at different Frost poems posted around the park. It was very informative.I thought I liked Frost's poetry, but now I know more about his life and his writing style. My favorite Frost poem wasn't on the walk though ("Directive,"look it up!).
Now that I think about it, this week had a lot of poetry involved! We spent an entire day walking around the park with Joan Haley and members of the Green Mountain Writing Project. We designed and wrote our own poems/journal entries, and even had a chance to watercolor in the gardens, which was my favorite part. For me, this week was about reflection and development, and I enjoyed taking the time to write about my experiences in the national parks and in life. I've never beenone for journaling, but who knows? Maybe I enjoyed our writing so much thatI'll take it up.
I also want to mention the abundance of after-work activities that the park staff stays involved in. All the staff members love hosting get-togethers, and this week was the goodbye party to Laura Anderson. With great people and great food, the park staff here knows how to work hard during the day and party hard at night!
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July 30, 2014
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Last updated: July 30, 2014