Happy New Year and welcome back!

For many of us, teleworking has absorbed most of 2020 and starting another year working from home can be a frustrating position to be in. I definitely have been feeling this pressure to break out of routine in a safe way as I telework. For me, that has meant waking up earlier and allowing myself time to exercise, make a healthy breakfast, and plan for the day before starting work. These are things that should be easy to do but are often neglected in the routine of teleworking, and it has provided a much needed reflection on my daily habits. I’m reminded that I’m lucky to be working in a position that allows for flexibility and creativity as I continue on with my project. 

The current focus of the website is returning to the drafts with a focus on accessibility to the audience. Not only is the ease of layout important but also the quality of the content. With this in mind, I’ve started revising the pages for language and expanding on scientific elements so that anyone can find the material useful. This is important because anyone referencing the website could learn more about the wildlife, landscape, fire suppression, trail building etc., and use it for school reports or personal interest--which is ultimately the goal. It makes me think back to when I first entered the natural resource world where the idea of controlled burns was shocking to me. I’d want someone coming across that topic to have a solid nutshell of the history, purpose, and method of it’s application to our public lands. Whether its fire practices, trail building, replanting, or habitat closures, visitors will hopefully have a good idea of the where, what, and why the national forest exists to carry out these projects.

Besides applying revisions, I’m excited to be working on a Plant and Wildlife Guide for the Angeles Forest. While it involves a lot of research, I love learning more about an area I’ve lived in most of my life. Many of the plants and animals I’m familiar with, but it’s definitely not hard to be surprised on what else lies in the foothills, mountains, and canyons of the Los Angeles area. I’ll be looking forward to applying this new awareness and visiting the forest (COVID safe) as the season changes to spring and makes identifying plants much easier. And, hopefully in a few months when the website is done, you can reference the site and discover new wildlife to try and find on trail too!

Agency: U.S Forest Service

Program: Resource Assistant Program (RAP)

Location: Angeles National Forest