For my internship, I worked during summer 2007 as a Forestry Aid for the U.S. Forest Service in Pleasant Grove, UT at the Pleasant Grove Ranger Station, which is about thirty minutes south of Salt Lake City. This station is assigned to the Uinta National Forest. Job duties entailed going out on the trails to make sure they are in good condition. We did this by doing track surveys. If they weren’t in good condition, I would trim the overhanging limbs, fix the tread, remove rocks and other debri, and make sure the gradients are not too steep. Also, we would talk to people to inform them of the rules and regulations of being on the trails.

One great experience was a three-day camping trip. We had to pack in all our food that we were going to eat, our clothes, tools, and anything else we needed. The hike was about three miles and our packs weighed about 45 pounds. This was the first time I actually went camping without any extra things like a grill or ice chest. During the trip, we had to re-route a trail that was severely damaged. This trip allowed me to get to know my co-workers better because at night we had a chance to talk.

I am a college student at Texas A&M University-Kingsville that got to do pretty awesome stuff working for the U.S. Forest Service in Bozeman, Montana during summer 2007. It is a little bit hard to just talk about the work I did and not talk about fun because I was doing things I love to do and that made work fun. One of the things I liked was learning new things. I was thoroughly trained in skills ranging from firefighting and properly operating chainsaws to First Aid and CPR.

I was able to go out to the field many occasions to do surveys related with habitat and with wildlife that where necessary for other bigger projects, and sometimes I was even able to participate in the implementation of such projects like “The Cherry Creek Project.” In doing so, I also realized the great deal of planning and interdisciplinary collaboration that is needed for management plans to actually take place in publicly owned lands.

Something else that I learned was that in work there are inherent risks and you have to always have them in mind and find ways to mitigate for them. Safety is first in the Forest Service unlike some other work environments like “getting the job done no matter what it takes.” During my internship with the Forest Service, I learned that “if it is not safe, it is not worth doing.”

Working with the Forest Service was a complete learning experience, and not to mention the pride one feels from helping preserve our nation’s natural resources and wild beauty.