Due to the timeline of project applications for the Pacific West RTCA program, many of the projects that were granted technical assistance from RTCA are starting up this summer. Some projects are quite far along in their community-focused outdoor recreation or conservation efforts, while others are in the exciting beginning stages of a project that will have widespread positive impacts in their communities. It has been such an exciting learning opportunity to help design work plans for these RTCA-supported projects, and to help brainstorm and generate Vision and Goal statements for projects. Because some of these projects are in my own communities in Seattle, I have been able to not only continue learning about how to provide project support to RTCA staff in outdoor recreation and conservation contexts more broadly, but I have also learned a great deal about outdoor recreation and conservation efforts happening right around me. Working on newer projects alongside those that I have been involved with since the beginning of this year has also provided me a unique understanding of how projects are both started and wrapped up as a part of the program. 

The other new experience that instantly comes to mind when reflecting on the last month is a site visit that I went on with another RTCA staff member to a United States Forest Service and California Fish & Wildlife managed area south of Lake Tahoe. I had never been to that area of Nevada and California before, or explored the scenery that the area around the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest had to offer, so the setting was a completely different recreation and conservation context compared to other places I had been to before. Prior to this site visit, I relied on aerial images of the area and topographic maps to complete my work, so getting into the remote project site and seeing the hot springs that were the primary point of interest helped to contextualize the geography of the project for me. Because the setting is so unique and beautiful, the area receives quite a bit of use, both by paddlers on the Carson River and by Off-Highway-Vehicle users across surrounding user-created paths. It was extremely useful to see what the extent of damage to the area would be after Memorial Day Weekend, and to gather more precise GPS points for features like fire rings, campsites, and river crossings used by 4-Wheel-Drive-Vehicles and Off-Highway-Vehicles.

Overall, this past month has continued the pattern of my fellowship so far by allowing me to gain unique learning opportunities. These have equipped me with valuable tools and skills to be an effective support to the RTCA program and to help me pursue future potential roles in outdoor recreation and conservation fields.