Although we’re a month into our service term, there is still plenty to be learned and the past week has been a mix of training sessions and trail work. Luckily, our training has yet to be dull and tedious; rather, I can say with confidence that our teachers have kept us engaged despite the long hours, making the training thoroughly enjoyable. These courses varied greatly in subject matter. One day we were learning how to identify invasive plant species, and two days later we could be found practicing how to make splints with nearby tree branches as a part of our Wilderness First Aid training.
Going into the Wilderness First Aid course, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Prior to the class, I had no background in first aid and, in truth, it’s a bit challenging for me to stomach the thought of medical procedures or anything involving blood. Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive. And yet, I feel as if this training was one of the most critical parts of my learning experience in New Hampshire thus far, and perhaps the most entertaining as well. Part of our training included acting out different emergency scenarios and repeating the essential steps over and over, even just in practice, was helpful when it came to learning so much material. Although I’ll hopefully never have to use what I learned when I’m out in the field, I feel more prepared now that I know how to handle emergency situations. Additionally, part of the course also included obtaining our CPR certification, which is something I never thought I would achieve.
Amidst the training, we were also able to work closely with the Alexandria Conservation Committee for a few days. This work largely consisted of trail maintenance in the Alexandria Town Forest, such as marking trails and boundaries as well as helping lay out a new, longer trail along the edge of the property. Although I’ve hiked plenty of trails since my arrival here, it was my first time seeing how a trail comes together, and it feels particularly rewarding to look back and see the trail start to take shape after hours of sawing fallen trees and pruning troublesome shrubbery. I’m grateful that we’re able to assist other groups as well, especially now that I’m seeing the importance of working with the community and maintaining good relationships with the organizations around us, especially when we’re trying to achieve similar goals for the sake of conservation.
A routine is slowly starting to form now that we’ve undergone most of our training, but of course there’s still so much that we have planned with the NLRA for the upcoming months. More planning is underway for our education programs, and these programs along with our monthly Volunteer Days and other excursions will surely keep us busy during the summer!