I was able to attend National Community Assistance Training at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in West Virginia. This was my first time traveling to the East Coast and seeing my colleagues in person, so I was very excited to attend. The training center was also so beautiful, and the foliage was incredible! Very different from my home state Arizona.

I learned so much during the week I was at NCTC and most of the topics discussed were very new to me. There were so many great talks and during the share-fair it was hard to choose which to attend from so many great ones, but some of the ones I attend include: Ten Essentials for Working on Projects from Three NPS-RTCA Old Guard, Africatown Connections Blueway, and Planes, Barges, and Dogsleds: Reaching Rural Alaska. I was very eager to attend one meeting in particular, Liberating Structures: Create Events and Meetings That Truly Connect & Engage Your Audience. I am very new to meetings in the workplace (especially over TEAMS or Zoom) and I know it is important to be able to facilitate an engaging and productive meeting. So, I was able to learn a lot from this talk/demonstration at NCTC and am most eager to apply the new skills I learned during my training.

I still found time to enjoy summer though! My sister was able to come and visit me in Colorado, so while she was here, we went camping! I asked around the office and got some advice from local people about some good camping spots. In the end we decided to camp out along the Cache La Poudre River, which is also a designated Wild and Scenic River! It was beautiful and such a well-kept campground with the nicest outdoor bathrooms I have ever seen. I was identifying rocks, admiring outcrops, and my sister was identifying plants. We made some amazing nachos and smores, read some scary stories, relaxed in the river, and went on a great hike. I’ll definitely go back and camp again, we had a great time!

Agency: National Park Service

Program: Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Program (COR)

Location: Rivers, Trails Conservation Assistance Program - Colorado Field Office