My Work Here is Complete!

The QR Trail is installed, its video tutorial is uploaded, and my time as the Manassas LEAF intern has come to an end.

I’d like to take a moment to reflect on this summer’s lessons, and to thank everyone who made this internship so tremendous.

Head to the Conway Robinson State Forest to check out my QR Trail!

Thanks to Adam, I know how to make a QR code (or, at the very least, how to get magical computer software to make a QR code).

Thanks to Terry Lasher, I can drive a bulldozer–the fastest and most rewarding way to destroy dozens of invasive plants!

Thanks to Blake, I can tell a hickory from an ash from a walnut from tree of heaven (which all look the same), and understand how to not rub poison ivy all over your face.

Thanks to Allie’s patient teachings, I can now distinguish the “falling ping pong ball” call of the field sparrow from the “paired note” song of the indigo bunting…and know every lyric to every Iggy song .

Thanks to Courtney, I better understand streams, dating trees, and the importance of flawless choreography.

As with any job, there are moments that really challenge your dedication. Can you consistently wake up before dawn? Can you bravely face the disease ridden ticks stalking you from the fields? Can you tolerate one more cut from the never-ending green briar? However, the people here at the Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Manassas National Battlefield Park, and the Virginia Department of Forestry made every day, regardless of its trials, a truly wonderful experience.

I hope my readers have as much fun reading this blog as I had writing it. And if you learned something in the process? All the better!

And lastly, to any potential interns: apply for this job ASAP! You’d be crazy not to want to work with these folks.

Sending my best from the Battlefield!

Sincerely,

 Caitlin Verdu