Four months into my position with the U.S. Forest Service and I have been treasuring every moment. I have been able to meet new people from many different places and see what the Forest Service has to offer. I will say that coming into this position, I didn’t understand how grand the Forest Service is. There are countless positions and roles in the Forest Service that I didn’t realize were even possibilities. There is a place and position for what your passionate about and I feel that is what makes the Forest Service a great place to pursue a career. I have been fortunate enough to have a supervisor who is willing to help guide me along the way and share her extensive knowledge with me. Alongside my supervisor, many are willing to offer their help and let me tag along with various projects that are going on in the Mendocino.
Recently, I was able to be apart of a training taking place for the Forest Service in Foresthill, California. The training was to learn the basics and the utilization of Mechanized Trail Equipment, and I was in a position to receive a certification to operate and maintain trail tractors, mini excavators, and other tracked equipment. I will say I was a bit nervous going in because I had no prior experience nor knowledge of the equipment that we were going to use. Throughout the week, I had the pleasure of working alongside both those that were training as well as the trail crew from the American River District. I was able to get quite a bit of seat time in order to grasp using dozers and mini excavators. I had such an exciting and useful experience. Everyone present for the training was encouraging each other and helping one another consistently.
Overall, my experience with the Forest Service has benefited me and I am ecstatic to see what other opportunities await me in the future. In the midst of the fall season, the leaves are changing colors and I’m looking forward to seeing just how much more beautiful the Mendocino can get in winter!
(Photo: First try at a rolling dip in a Sutter 500!)