Bears, Boats, and Bibles

Hey, Everyone!

So, I have 3 weeks left of my bear technician job and I am so sad to see it come to an end. I have learned a lot of practical skills and I feel way more confident in who I am now that I can say I have had a large carnivore job-I really hope to keep getting them now and work my way up to a career in it. I have been told by my boss to: 

            1) get a job doing what you love (species specific) 

            2) get a job where you want to be

            3) get a job where you can do a little bit of everything 

I have been applying for a few jobs for when I graduate and it feels so crazy to me that this college journey is almost over as well. In regard to this bear job I may have some really cool opportunities to take part in this Fall and if I get to do them expect a really cool story. 

Me at work on my ATV

Over the last few weeks I have been able to take a few interested employees with me in the field to get to help out and see what I do. This week is different for 2 reasons: it is the last week of baiting snares (little did I know you don't bait the whole time because you still have a week of tear down) and also I get to host an intern for the week! She is really cool and from North Carolina, Louisiana is hosting her to see what all LDWF does and I am super flattered to be the person to introduce her to the large carnivore work we do in Louisiana. I think it is just because I park at the main office but I am really enjoying this opportunity to teach her about the history of the Louisiana Black Bear (Ursus americanus luteolus), how to run snares and we had a conversation with my boss about what else they do to manage and monitor the bears. 

                                                                    Bayou near a snare

Besides the bear job I have been fairly busy. My friends, Parker and I went frogging last weekend and had OK luck. We took a wild boat ride down the bayou and saw way more aligators than frogs. Alos, we have these copi carp that jump so high out of the water when they are disturbed and can get very big. We saw a lot of them and were half scared they would hit us in the face, one of our friends got hit and almost fell out of the boat! We did get pretty nearly every frog we saw and my Friend Darby came over to help me process them. I always appreciate the effort it takes to bring us all out so Parker and I hosted them for supper and a game night last night. I was so happy because we played an old Midwest card game I grew up playing called "pitch". After the initial confusion of me trying to explain how the game is played and the complicated point system I think everyone truly had fun. The boys ended up winning but I think the girls team will win the next game. We had all kinds of food like cheeseburgers, smashed potatoes, green beans, brownies, buffalo chicken dip and more and for the first time in my life I cooked too much food so I sent my friends home with left-overs. 

                                    Me again

I have also just stated a Bible study that combines my friends I have from work with my friends from church. We have had 1 so far and it is the best time. We also have food but I love how in detail we can go into God's word. I find that when you study the Bible with other people you notice more things and can learn from each other. We are going through the book of Daniel and I especially like the spirit of excellence that God gave him. I try to bring God's spirit of excellence in all I do, like my bear work. Daniel also had many dream and visions that God showed to him about the future and very important was Daniel's daily relationship with God- so much so he couldn't go a day without praying. I can't go a day without praying, I can't imagine going a day without talking to my creator and as Jesus calls us "friend". I think I have mentioned before how I would get out in the woods while it is still dark with all that bear bait in my backpack. So dark that I have to use my flashlight to find my way to the snare and look at the barbs. When I would do that I would pray this verse, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to m path" -Psalm 119:105. It made me feel a lot less uneasy and it's a reminder God knows where I am and where I am going and he himself will lead the way.

-Nichole🐻