Maps

So I said there would be maps and there are actual maps that I have been creating, these maps are what I have been creating out here in Montauk for The Nature Conservancy. So more background on what I'm doing out here is, I as well as three other team members walk\hike around in the woods, and parks around the south fork of long island. While walking around these parks we search for invasive plants which TNC wants to eradicate in the near future. We do a couple of treatments about ever other week, but for the most part we use handheld GPS units to map out invasive plants. Another thing we are doing is creating trail layers which are placed on the maps to better identify where certain items are, and so that there are actual trail layers available for the parks we go to, since most don't offer maps for users. So without furthur ado, the maps.

Hither Woods Complex with assessments, which include areas with multiple invasive plants located within them.

Treatment areas in Cedar Point state Park, this is where we use tools to dig out the invasives.

Weed occurances in Hither Woods, where each symbol represents a plant or/and area where invasive plants exist.

Shadmoor State Park, a cool place to go to the beach at, as well as an area where we manage the invasive plants.

Theodore Roosevelt County Park, where Teddy used to retreat to in the old days, no full of invasive plants.

The end in July

So, it's been awhile, and i have a lot of catching up to do before we head into August. so i left off by saying my mother was coming to visit, well she did, for a little over a week, and it was a good time, she took me out to dinner, for 3 course meals, which i miss now, and I'm back to the basic do it myself dinners, but oh well. My mom got to see a lot of the areas that i am and will be working in around Montauk, and she got to see the beaches and surfers, as well as some good size waves, which have gone down to about 2 feet, and it looks like a completely different ocean now than it did when it had 6 foot waves, and even 8 foot waves as it did last week during some intense rain storms that passed by. My mom enjoyed the visit to Montauk although she wouldn't want to live here, due to the small village and mass of people that come here over the summer, and weekends especially. I myself have gotten used to it but i have also left many of the weekends, since being here, and when my mom was in town we went to the City, NYC that is, for a Sunday which as the tour guide I was we got to see many parts of the city I have seen plus some new areas such as the heart of Chinatown and pier 17, I believe she enjoyed that visit also, but NYC is quite overwhelming for a Midwesterner from Jasper. The only thing I don't like about the City are the people, the tourist that is, even though I am technically one when I'm there I don't see myself as one. And I wanted to go back this weekend, but it seems that i my not be able to, oh well, I'll spend my time in Montauk and at the beach.

Week of the 11th

So my Mom has come to visit, which is a good thing, I hope she has a good week of venture around the area Parks that I work in. she had a god trip over through Wheeling WV, through PA and a visit to the Statue of Liberty and off to The End, Montauk. The waves here are become larger, apparently due to the hurricane out in the Atlantic, they're at about a 5 foot peak, which is larger than any waves I've seen in Miami. I'm trying to do more things out here, I've gotten caught up in watching TV online and movies, so I've been going to the beach more and ride my bike more. Erin has left, one week after we picked her up to join our team she decides to leave with her boyfriend who came to visit, it sucks because she was a fresh face, and she enjoyed doing things other than sitting around here. But all is well, and we may get a new fifth member, this would be the 4Th now, we'll see if that happens or if they leave like the rest. But work is going well, we are mapping and pulling the invasive plants in Cedar Point County Park we were pulling Japanese Barberry last week a popular landscaping plant, which I have planted when worked for Buschkeotters, and now I am killing it out here. But all is well with me and I continue to adapt to this different lifestyle and unique world.

July 4th

July 4th in New York City, an experience I will not soon forget. The weekend started with an hour drive to Brookhaven Ny where me and Kate my roommate meet up with Kaley and Jordan, where we stayed over night in preparation of our city journey. We caught the train the next morning at 8:15 and took it into Penn Station in the city. Our next leg of the journey was our driving appetite for Dunkin' Donuts. After filling our tanks we headed up fashion avenue to times square where all the tourist like to hangout. After walking in seas of people we went up into central park and found a little piece of wilderness within the city, this is a huge park and we went up about halfway to turtle pond, and Belvedere Castle before heading back down by the strawberry fields and in to the Worlds greatest Apple store, on fifth avenue. Then following a walk on fifth avenue we went off to grand central station to ride to Subway to Greenwich, where we ate Thai food of all thing in new york, but it was pretty good. Then we went on an interesting walk down and through Canal Street, this street is full of tiny merchant shops, and fake goods, and peddlers all along this single file street, for about 2 miles, if you want a fake gucci bag then this is the place for you but otherwise forget about it. Then we went to Piccolo Italia, where it was like a modern day street market. This is where we got on another subway and headed down to Battery Park to watch the Famed New York fireworks. The fireworks where interesting becuase the Jersey side started at about 9:15 and then the New York Fireworks started at about 9:30 an they both went on for another 20 minuetes and then the New York Fireworks went on an additional 15 mins, so for 20 mins, there were fireworks on both side of where we were sitting, so it was pretty cool, but the New York, Macy's fireworks were much better than the jersey side. Well after the fireworks we went back to greenwich to a pub, and hungout there until about 1 am, playing pool and shooting darts. We then went back to Penn Station where we found out that the next train out of the city was at 7:13 AM so we had 5 hours to wait for the next train. we went over to Tick Tock Dinner were we got some omlets, which were not very god, and then me and kaley sat on the street waiting and watching the Empire state building go from complete darkness to were it became lit from the rising sun. And its interesting that we stayed up all night in the city that never sleeps wathing the cabs and other crazy people out on the streets, but it was fun and I would do it again if I had the choice. 4TH of July, about 24 hours in New York awake and taking a self guided Journey around the city one thing I will not soon to forget.