Welcome to my (Claire Stout) blog about my summer internship in Yellowstone National Park. I am brought here by the Student Conservation Association and given a scholarship by Americorps for my college tuition. I am interning under the head ranger at the Tower Ranger Station. This blog contains stories of my adventures and what it is like to live here in the park. There are also photos that contain me, the people I work with, and interesting things I encounter. Feel free to leave a comment and enjoy!

Yellowstone Album 3

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The internet is availible to me!

[Disclaimer: Blogger doesn't have automatic spell check, so expect mistakes. If you know me well, you know that I'm not the best speller in the world]
Alright....So I finally have Internet access here! Which means I can finally start posting what I am actually doing. I know I was a bit vague with the details before I left, but that was because I was unsure of what was going to be happening as well. (oops!)
So basically, I am 'sent' here by the Student Conservation Association (SCA). Officially, I am a volunteer. I don't get paid by the hour. I get an allowance from the SCA for food expenses/etc. If I stay for the entire three months, (which I most certainly plan to), I get a scholarship for school tuition from Americorp.
In simple words, I am interning under the head ranger here at Tower Ranger station, Collette Daigle-Berg, and I do all sorts of things. One of the main things I do is "Bear Jams". They are traffic jams caused by bears. Not in the way one might think though. The bear could be ten feet off the road, not the middle of it. He could also be 300 yrds off the road and still cause a jam. If the bear is visible, the possibilities of a bear jam are up in the 99% range. I admit. Sometimes it is frustrating, because there is so much more to the park than just bears. The thermal features for instance. Or even on a smaller scale: the wildflowers and their properties. But I try to keep in mind that people come to the park for different reasons, and while there are some people who only come for the bears, there are still those who do come to learn as much as they can about everything.
Tower ranger station. This is where I live. I wake up and perhaps there might be a buffalo outside my window. We had two black bears mating in our volleyball court just last week. I'm not living in a tent or anything like that. It's actually very nice living quarters with a kitchen and bathroom and double bed. I don't have a double bed at home......

3 comments:

  1. CLAIRE! Hi.

    It's Kristin. If this works we now have a way to communicate.

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  2. Okay! It is nice to finally have some news about your adventure. But let's see some pictures. It will help fill out the stories you are telling.

    Glad you are enjoying the summer. Maximize your opportunities. By the way, I just got an email yesterday that the fishing equipment I ordered for you is backordered. I will let you know when it ships.

    Dad

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