I joined the Rangeland department on a ride to look for some illegal goats in the national forest. It was the start of the last rifle season for hunting, so we wore our orange. I am so glad we wore our orange because we heard a handful of shots, to the point we thought they were shooting cans. Then as soon as we slowed down a big buck ran in front of us and then we understood why there were so many shots. Later in the day, we saw a pair of bald eagles. It was my first time seeing a bald eagle! We stopped and admired them from afar, and even heard one of their calls. This field day made me further realize how important it is to follow hunting protocols. In the past, I did not understand hunting, or the laws/protocols related to it. Now, I get to educate my parents about it since they did not know about it either.

Overall, I think that this Resource Assistant experience has been so enjoyable because I get to tell my family and friends back home in Florida about everything I am learning. My parents visited me here during the fall so I have been sending them photos of how it looks now in winter. I told everyone I was able to cut my own little Christmas tree and decorate it with some pinecones I found. Additionally, I have grown as an individual and have found areas of my work that I am passionate about, which I will continue to pursue as a career. This is my second to last blog post for this Resource Assistantship, and I know from now till then I will learn so much more.