The Grand Finale

20150711_182632The day finally came when I had to say goodbye to all the good people at the Conservancy. I learned so much while there. It was a bit of a bittersweet moment because I’d like to think that I’d get a chance to work with everyone again in the future but you never know what life has in store for you. That’s worth a second of contemplation: I never know what life has in store for me. What I did know was that I would soon be headed down the One back to Monterey to finish up my studies. I really missed the serenity of the coast and just in case I had forgotten the wonders the ocean has to offer, there was a humpback blowing in the water close to the shore of Bean Hollow State Park if anyone cared to notice. I did notice as I stared off into the setting sun. I couldn’t help but notice; I had never seen a whale so close to the shore! And up until a year and a half ago, I had never seen a whale in California waters. What had I been doing all this time? Continue reading

For the Love of Monitoring!

Pier94.1This eye-opening learning experience at the Coastal Conservancy is only a couple days away from ending. I have acquired so much knowledge regarding coastal watersheds, partnering agencies and so much more. One of the perks of working at the Conservancy is the opportunity to go out in the field and monitor previous projects that project managers have worked on. By the way, that’s what the Conservancy does. They work on projects, so there is always something new and exciting in the works. Folks over here are also pretty busy which usually means good things are happening in California. As a result, I got a chance to visit some former projects to make sure things were still functioning properly. Continue reading

How I Got Here, & What I’m Doing

My summer at the State Coastal Conservancy started off with a whirlwind of events: meetings and workshops galore! The highlight from my first week had to have been the San Mateo County Vulnerability Assessment Kickoff which took place in Foster City and had Congresswoman Jackie Speier there as a speaker. If you’re not familiar with this inspirational woman, her story is pretty unique.(http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Congresswoman-remembers-day-of-horror-3261573.php).IMG_3894But in the moment, what really drew me was a question she had for the audience of stakeholders when referring to future generations, “Are their lives going to be better off than ours?” These are ideas I hope most people reflect on, but it may not always be the case.

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