# data[].attributes.body
I couldn't contain my excitement as I pulled out of my friends driveway in Darwin at 5am, cruising out into the dark, warm tropical morning. By 6.45am I was thundering down the Arnhem Highway toward a blazing ball of fury casting a dusky pink light across the wetlands and jungle in the distance, I knew I was close.
The sign for Fogg Dam approached quickly and before I knew it I was pulling into the ranger station.
The crew came out to greet me, Davo, Steveo and Ben. A rough bunch of middle aged men who looked like they'd been in the game for some time.
My first day was incredible, checked the croc traps, did a rec run of the wetlands, saw and learnt about some endangered birds and settled into my new home for 3 weeks.
The ranger station wasn't new to me which was comforting, everything laid out the same like back at my old depot in the high country.

I think I'm going to like it here.

# data[].attributes.body
First nights sleep was rough, the aircon didn't work and mosquitos were rampant.
Woke up at 5am and sat on the balcony with a coffee.
Walked across the red driveway to the depot to begin the day.
Today I learned about some of the most highly invasive species of weeds within the Fogg Dam work zone.
My boss Steve, won ranger of the year previously for his work controlling Gamba Grass, a highly invasive species of savannah grass that is creating devastating monocultures throughout the NT. I did a site induction and vehicle induction, learning more about our workzone, the species within it and how they are managed.

# data[].attributes.body
Today we got cracking early and went and re-did fencing around Leaning Tree Lagoon, about an hours drive from the depot but well within our work zone.
The fencing is consistently cut by illegal hunters or run down by buffalo. There was roughly 2km of fencing to fix, this is a new skill for me and i wrangled with the stretcher for some time before I got the hang of it.
I spoke with Ben extensively about his time in the NT as a ranger of 30 years. His experiences were extremely varied and his time on the Coburg Peninsula sounded incredible, I also learnt how to ID Giant Mimosa another highly invasive species of weeds in the NT.

# data[].attributes.body
Today Davo and I audited the air boats, I wasn't impressed with how dilapidated their safety equipment was and all air boats were declared out of action until further notice, a really disappointing blow considering how often they use them for land management.
For the rest of the day I put together a map of all known reptiles in our work zone under Steves  guidance using the Atlas of living Australia. I absolutely loved this and couldn't believe how much valuable information was available.

# data[].attributes.headline
Evidence 1. The ability to utilise contemporary digital tech for the purpose of communicating, representing knowledge, completing and enhancing tasks 

# data[].attributes.subject
Evidence 1. The ability to utilise contemporary digital tech for the purpose of communicating, representing knowledge, completing and enhancing tasks 

# data[].attributes.body
This was one of my skill goals that I was the most keen to learn about. The Atlas of Living Australia, is an incredible data base containing observations of species from citizen science to field work professionals and getting shown how to cultivate an incredibly data heavy and informative map was so rewarding. Attached is the species distribution map workings of reptiles in the Fogg Dam work zone!

# data[].attributes.body
Today I watched Davo give an incredibly knowledgeable bird talk on native and migratory species and the management actions and protection put in place on local and global scales, to protect some of these international frequent flyers! I cleaned the toilets, did basic visitor area maintenance and walked our local walking tracks to check their safety.
During my down time in the afternoon I began to put together a flora and fauna list of all the local plants and animal species I am beginning to learn. I will share this later on as a part of Evidence 2.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Cutting down invasive bamboo from the banks of the Mary River 

# data[].attributes.body
Today I went with my boss Steve, to Mary River National Park to assist with track maintenance for the day. This can often happen as areas of the National Parks are so vast they require large teams to manage them, that actually don't exsist.
So off we went, it took roughly 2 and half hours to get there but was the most incredible day. I got to work with some great people in a highly variable landscape. Mary River also has the highest density of crocodiles in the world and on the route home Steve took me down some insane 4WD tracks and I saw at least 30 crocs!!!!!

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Steve and his dad getting the tractor ready

# data[].attributes.body
Today I drove the tractor. This was the biggest tractor I have ever driven and I had so much fun. We reconstructed the car parks in the visitor areas, shifted boulders and ripped out pylons. We finished up around 12pm and for the rest of the day I continued working on my species list with the help of Steve and also wrote some notes on the workplace structure and governance of DEPWS.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Feral buffalo control and bait for croc traps 

# data[].attributes.body
Feral buffalo are one of the most destructive and difficult to control invasive species in the NT. They destroy precious wetland and floodplain habitat with their wallowing and hard hooves, habitat that is crucial for the survival for many species.

We took down a buffalo today and I learnt how to butcher it and use the meat for the croc traps! This is a weekly occurrence and a regular part of ranger duties, including aerial culling programs

A fantastic and eye opening day.

# data[].attributes.headline
Evidence 2. Effectively and creatively applies discipline and knowledge to complete workplace tasks

# data[].attributes.subject
Evidence 2. Effectively and creatively applies discipline and knowledge to complete workplace tasks

# data[].attributes.body
Species lists, weed info/control and workplace structure. Taking time to gain an understanding of these in conjunction with my preexisting knowledge of practical land manager roles, I was able to put together species lists, which helped me engage with visitors if they had questions on the local environment. I was able to get involved in the spray program for giant mimosa and having a well rounded understanding of everyone's key roles really helped me navigate the work place.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Myself spraying giant mimosa in Djuk Binj

# data[].attributes.body
Today I was fortunate enough to head out into Djuk Binj National Park with the crew and carrying out weed control on Giant Mimosa. This shrub grows on floodplains,  can withstand significant flooding events and goes dormant when subjected to fire.

As it is a Fabaceae its hard seed coating allows it to build an incredibly resilient seed bank making management extremely difficult.

Ariel spraying is utilised in hard to reach areas on the flood plain. Chemical used is Starane.
We left at roughly 9am and were out on the floodplain for a few hours, watching a bushfire in the distance.

# data[].attributes.body
Fire.
Today we responded to a small grass fire at Leaning Tree Lagoon. I have never seen fire behave like this before, as fire in Victoria burns with much greater ferocity due to bigger fuel loads and steeper aspect of country.

We monitored it for a couple of hours and called it in to the local fire station, but essentially we just let it burn. I really could not believe how relaxed everyone behaved around the fire, it was a really special event to witness and be a part of.

# data[].attributes.body
Today was maintenance day once again, the tasks are slightly monotonous around Fogg Dam, toilets, signs, leaf blowing the walking track and engaging with visitors if they are present.
I am learning that between days or tasks work can be a little slow to focus on facilitating my own learning by practicing my species ID skills and reading about the history of the area, colonial and TO's.
I love driving the vehicles, I wish this was my car HA.

# data[].attributes.body
Last day!

Today was pretty quite, I finalised some work, cleaned up my house and tidied up around the depot.
I'm feeling bittersweet about leaving this place, waking up early every morning and watching the sun rise over the dam, seeing an abundance of wildlife every day and getting to meet some incredible people.

I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to have this experience. I think it has definitely given my greater perspective on my goals and aspirations when I finish uni.

# data[].attributes.body
Today I finished packing, had some cuppas and very insightful convserations and wrote a couple more reflections on my time here.

One thing I am disappointed in that I didn't expect was the lack of contact with Traditional Owners in the conservation/parks space.
TO's have such fantastic knowledge bases and very different, intricate ways of interacting with the natural landscape, it is shame that at Fogg Dam, there was not more facilitation of joint land management practices.

As I pulled out into the baking hot afternoon to return to Darwin I left feeling a mix of emotions, very grateful to have spent my time in such an incredible place, sad that it was over and excited for the future!

# data[].attributes.headline
Evidence 3. Communicate responsively with people of various viewpoints and cultures

# data[].attributes.subject
Evidence 3. Communicate responsively with people of various viewpoints and cultures

# data[].attributes.body
Working with a diverse range of individuals, definitely helped me achieve communicating with people that are extremely different from myself in terms of personality and world views, this could be highly challenging and jarring at times, but I believe I navigated these challenges with an open mind and this usually led to interesting discussions and positive outcomes.

However, like I said in my last entry, I am disappointed that I didn't witness or experience much TO engagement, attached is a small document I prepared about the indigenous and colonial histories of Fogg Dam, which was honestly the extent of my engagement in learning about the TO's of the area.