During the “Train the Trainer” workshop that I touched on in my last blog, I met an amazing professor at Fort Collins College in Durango. I reached out to the professor and was able to set up a recruitment presentation for his Natural Resources Management class. One of the trail crew members volunteered to present with me, giving a great personal touch to the presentation. Additionally, we demonstrated how to apply for positions on USA Jobs, which can be difficult to use. We hope that even if students do not apply, we showed them future employment opportunities in the Forest Service.

I have also been working with other crews in the district such as the wilderness crew, the fire crew, and the range crew. I joined the fire crew in tabling for the Bayfield Heritage Day where we educated the public on fire safety in the National Forest and recruited for seasonal/permanent positions. It was an enjoyable time interacting with the kids and getting to see their reactions to meeting Smokey the Bear. I joined the wilderness crew in installing a wilderness sign on the Stoney Pass looking over the Continental Divide. It was incredible to witness how strong this crew is! After digging, breaking rocks and securing the sign (at a high altitude) my body was super sore. I already had admiration for the crew but after this field day, it grew tremendously.

I am looking forward to many projects to be completed this following month and to starting new ones!

Agency: U.S Forest Service

Program: Resource Assistant Program (RAP)

Location: San Juan National Forest