The job is done
Junior Spencer Bowman, a student trip leader, is proud of the work his group did for the National Park Service.
The Gulf Islands team dug into our first assignments Monday morning.
While one group tackled ranger-led programs and experiences around the park, our group worked on recreational activities around the Mississippi side of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and Davis Bayou. We drew inspiration from the visitor center and all the informational exhibits, which led us to look for indigenous wildlife around the park.
We started at some of the local trails, including the alligator pond. Although it was foggy, we were able to capture several different types of lizards and turtles, who were enjoying the cooler weather. We hiked through the recreational trails and went out to the CCC Outlook, a relic from the Civilian Conservation Corps built in national parks during the Depression era.
While half our group interviewed Brent, a park ranger, and Pat, one of the park’s volunteers, the other half went down to the docks to get B-roll of fishing and boating opportunities, and to look for more of the park’s wildlife, like the egrets or ospreys that nest on the park’s grounds. We watched fish jump out of the water as the fog began to burn off in the afternoon.
When we all reconvened at the house, everyone gathered in the main room to start sorting through footage and making rough cuts of our first videos. We were tired from a long day of exploring the park but looking forward to the rest of the week.