Friday, August 6, 2010

The Finale

After over 300 hours of service, at least 15 large bags trail mix, 6 weeks of surveying, 5 delicious burrito dinners, 4 small-team projects, 3 big-team projects, and 1 spectacular final presentation, we have arrived at the end of LANDS. Gazelle now sits quietly, relieved from her load of nine giddy interns and bearing only the faintest traces of field-work aromas. The final reports lay proudly stacked, a glossy testament to a successful and productive summer.

Admittedly, endings have a way of tinting our perspective with rose-colored glasses. And admittedly, this ending is no different. The getting-lost-in-the-wilderness, the extended bouts of bushwhacking, the constant battle with mosquitoes all pale in comparison to what was gained: learning about interesting plants, traveling through Vermont’s beautiful landscape, working in the conservation field. The experience has been rich, to say the least – replete with good intentions, hard work, and excellent company.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

LANDS - Week 9

Week 9
The last week of LANDS was full of logistical planning and computer formatting. It was a long week in the office, but we put our heads together, worked hard, and got everything accomplished on time!

Monday:
On Monday morning we hit the ground running by tackling our first major priority, making management priorities for the NNIS surveys that we completed for the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF). Jon and Jessie led this discussion by going through each area surveyed near the George D. Aiken Wilderness Area. After the GMNF NNIS ball was done rolling the rest of the day was devoted to writing our four STP final reports.



Tuesday:
Tuesday morning Reed rejoined the group after a vacation day in Maine, and He & Kyle led a discussion about management priorities for State Park NNIS. The process was expedited by the fruits of Monday’s discussion. Very complex decisions about management priorities across the VT State Park system were made during our first two hours. After a yoga session on the Greenhouse front lawn, the crew hit the computers to get all of the team reports into the penultimate stage. All but one STP was also completed by day’s end.

Wednesday:
Wednesday was another long day in the office, filled with completing all final edits. In the afternoon we were lucky enough to get a break from office work and spend a little time working our muscles outside. In return for getting our office space all summer, we helped members of the Green House staff build a new composting bin. We screwed all the boards together and by the end of the day we put the final product in its resting place. This was both rewarding and challenging, and a great way to pay back some wonderful people for allowing us to use their office for the summer.




Thursday:
Thursday morning began with putting all final reports onto our handy zip drive known as Flannigan. This meant that all reports were finished and ready for the final version to be printed and bounded. After accomplishing this huge achievement the leaders provided us with delicious pizza for lunch to keep us in high spirits. This worked well, as after we were full and happy we all began to put together our individual sections of the final presentation, using the template provided by Deanna. Before we left, we each had a brief run through of what we planned to say, got a bit of feedback, and were sent on our way to come back on Friday and be prepared for a practice session and then the real thing!

Friday:

Friday was a bit different than most days, with our starting time being 12:30. When we arrived at the office we began with a practice session of our presentation, practicing and providing feedback in front of our LANDS team. After we decided that the next run through would run smoothly we were ready to head over to Jeffords, UVM’s new plant and soil science building, to have a nice Vietnamese lunch/dinner with SCA employees who supported our experience both financially and logistically. This was very nice, and after such a relaxing lunch, it was time to get down to business and complete preparations for our final presentation.








Friends, family and colleagues joined us for our final presentation which began shortly after 6:00. The final presentation went over very smoothly with welcoming applause at the finale. After socializing with family and friends, and after the work day came to a close, the LANDS crew decided that enjoying Burlington’s night life was in order.