The past five months haven’t always been easy for me. It was harder than I expected to move so far from home, but I’m glad I did. The landscape of southern Idaho is full of surprises. From a distance, it may look like an endless sea of sagebrush and grass, but when you take a closer look, you find all sorts of incredible things such as giant rock formations, lava tubes, and dramatic canyons. You also find bright colors and beautiful wildflowers.

Over the course of the season, I’ve had the opportunity to try all kinds of new things personally and professionally. Here are a couple of my firsts:

• First time living out west
• First time monitoring wildlife
• First time driving a pickup
• First time driving off-road
• First time electrofishing
• First time seeing a wildfire
• First rodeo
• First time on a UTV

My first rodeo

Thanks to all the interns, our crew leads, my mentor, Joanna, and all of the people in our office who showed us around and answered our questions for a great field season!

My past five months working at the Redding BLM office has taught me a lot. The program gave me a goal to achieve within a certain amount of time but also gave me freedom in ways to achieve that goal. I believe I have grown professionally and personally from this experience.

The SOS program had many advantages. It gave me a chance to reach out and make connections to other agencies and people. It also gave me a chance to be in charge of my own project. Being able to accomplish something professionally gave me confidence in myself and my work skills. The program gave a lot of guidance to help me when I had confusion about certain tasks. The office I was in could not give me guidance at points to certain tasks, I was glad to receive guidance on the CBG side of the program. Other perks of the program were being able to explore places and different habitat types. Spending the summer outside gave me opportunities to see what the land communities were like and being able to understand the ecosystems better.

Some qualities that I did not like about the program were it lacked a purpose for the collections and the BLM was lacking knowledge in the program. I felt this because I do not see a purpose for the collections if they are not going to restoration projects. I believe that the program would be more helpful if it was only used if the BLM office had some sort of restoration project going on and need seed to grow. The BLM office was lacking knowledge in the program but they were still very helpful and eager to help me out in any way they could and for that I am grateful.

Over all the experience was nice and gave me an opportunity to grow professionally and personally. I would recommend this job to other people interested in similar job qualities.

–Amanda Weiss, BLM Redding Field Office

My main project this summer has been to inventory a boreal forest in Tanacross, Alaska. There was a big blow down that happened a few years ago, so our objective was to go in and figure out how much wood could be harvested. We set up a stewardship agreement with the village of Tanacross, so that they could harvest the wood and use it for their bio-digester. Tanacross presented a few challenges along the way, and I have definitely had my ups and downs working this site. From the get-go, on the second day of work, I twisted my ankle scrambling over the blown down trees. While resting my ankle, we had a bigger issue. The third day of work, my fellow CLM intern, Katlyn Williard, and me realized that our plots in the GPS were off by about 500 feet each. We did not have any service in Tanacross, and had to call a BLM forester in California to resolve the issue. It was a slow process going, back and forth, from a spot we could get service to a spot with a distinguishable data point, but we finally got the problem resolved and were able to begin work again.

There are so many, intricate mysteries to the site and stories untold. Working at Tanacross is a constant look in the past. We are constantly finding relics of the time people spent in these forests. The site was disturbed in the 1940’s and used as a camp while building the Alaskan highway. From the satellite imagery, one can see where the old camp used to be by the way the forest is fragmented and compartmentalized. Working the site has me constantly curious about what times were like building the Alaskan highway.

The last thing I will say about Tanacross is that it is stunningly beautiful. The Alaska Mountain Range paints the backdrop of our site. I have seen it change from snowcapped peaks, to luscious greens in the summer, to vibrant yellow in the fall, back to being snowcapped as the fall slips into winter. Since tanacross is so far North, the northern lights are out most nights when the clouds clear, and I have been lucky to see them these past couple weeks bright and glorious.

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Another CLM Internship comes to an end for me. It has been a summer of new friendships, learning opportunities, and experiences. I reflect back on everything with happiness in my heart, but I can’t help feeling a little melancholy at having to say goodbye. Regardless, I look to the future with renewed vigor.

This summer’s projects have been nothing short of amazing. From learning all about endangered sucker fish species and assisting in efforts to restore their populations to helping out with wolves and Oregon Spotted Frogs. I ventured into the most beautiful regions of Oregon and met people whom I hope to have in my life for a long time. My resume grew exponentially and so did I.

Checking wolf cameras in Fremont-Winema National Forest

The same forest after driving 1000 feet higher in elevation! Beautiful!

I graduated college two years ago with the expectation that I would land a full-time, permanent job pretty easily, as I assume most college graduates expect. I mean, I have the shiny degree now, so how could I not easily land a job!? I am everything an employer is looking for!! Was I ever wrong. As thankful as I am to the Chicago Botanic Garden for giving me this incredible opportunity two years in a row, I have found that it is very hard to live when you don’t know what you’ll be doing six months from now. It is a constant stressor. I seek stability.

I have applied and applied and applied and I cannot seem to get even an INTERVIEW. I feel as though I have tried my hardest for the last two years to get a full-time, permanent job in wildlife or botany and that it is time to set that endeavor aside for now. I do believe very strongly in never giving up on your dreams, but sometimes you have to make a decision that is smart and looks out for your future self.

That is why I have decided to re-enlist with the Air Force. The Air National Guard to be exact. I previously served six years with the Kansas Air National Guard, which was a very positive experience and it allowed me to get my degree and graduate debt-free (very thankful for that, I can’t even imagine surviving these last two years with insurmountable debt). There is a guard unit right here in Klamath Falls, Oregon where I did my internship, so I will be staying here for a little bit longer 🙂

I feel very good about this decision. Although I am saddened about putting my dreams of Conservation aside for now, I am looking forward to the future. The career field I am moving into with the Air Force will be in Bioenvironmental Engineering, so I can help the environment in a small way while helping people and getting to do research and science. Things I really care about. This opportunity will be a good one. I can earn veteran status if I deploy (I didn’t deploy in my previous enlistment so technically I am not considered a veteran) so that if I choose to get out after the four year enlistment, I will have preference when applying for jobs on usajobs. I will also receive 12-months of additional school benefits which would pay for half of a Master’s if I decided to pursue that option. A new career field will be opened up to me so I will have even greater options when applying for jobs. I can also choose to be a drill-status guardsmen if I don’t want to work full-time for the military and then I can go work full-time in the civilian world if I wanted to.

All in all, the military is going to give me great stability. I will be able to start putting money towards my retirement fund, which is a big thing that young people really need to take into consideration. I will have extra money to put into investments. I will be able to travel. I am really looking forward to this next chapter in life!

Thank you to the Chicago Botanic Garden for providing me with this fantastic internship two years in a row! I cannot even begin to express all of the thanks that I have.

“At the end of the day, you’re responsible for yourself and your actions and that’s all you can control. So rather than be frustrated with what you can’t control, try to fix the things you can.” -Kevin Garnett

Marissa Jager – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Klamath Falls, OR

To wrap up the internship, myself and the other CBG interns have been assisting with cultural clearances on burned areas. As many of you know, there were many fires in the West this summer, and our field office was no exception. The BLM conducts ESR (Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation) on these burned areas through re-seeding and other efforts. In areas that equipment can access, this is often accomplished through drill seeding- this machine plants the seeds at equal distances and the correct depth and then recovers the seed with soil. Understandably, this disturbs the ground a fair bit so it is our job to ensure that no important cultural (archaeological) resources are disturbed or destroyed. To accomplish this, our crew lines up in 30 meter intervals (37 of my paces) and then walks across the landscape on transects searching for artifacts. Artifacts found have ranged from historic bottles and cans from sheep herders to projectile points (arrowheads) and pottery used by Native Americans. Our archaeologist has showed us how to date objects and important characteristics to record. It’s always exciting when we find a new site, but in reality a lot of our time is spent walking and staring at burned ground. If approached with the right mindset, this can be pretty enjoyable. The temperatures have cooled from the blistering heat we experienced earlier in the summer, and its amazing how much you can see when you’re paying attention, even in burned areas. Besides the artifacts, there are interesting bones and skulls scattered around, little baby lupines sprouting up, and the occasional rattlesnake warning us from its sunning perch on a rock. With one earbud left out to hear the snakes, I’ve also caught up on some podcasts. I listened to one called “Shifting Time” by TED Radio Hour and a particular quote from the show seemed especially relevant to the end of my internship here in Idaho.

Little baby lupine sprouting in the land burned by the Mammoth fire.

Sorry about the low quality, but if you look closely you can one of the many rattlesnakes to avoid.

“Poignancy increases. Tear in the eye tends to happen when we are thinking about chapters ending …These are positive events but they signal the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. And those times in life are the very same events that bring a tear to our eye at the same time we are smiling. But can you imagine any emotional experience that is richer than that? Where you are seeing the past, you are in the present, you are thinking about the future. It’s all there. And its incredibly gratifying.” -Laura Carstensen

View from the the highest point in City of Rocks (Steinfell’s Dome)

Goat Lake in the Sawtooth Range (pc: Patricia- CLM intern and fellow mountain lover)

I kind of like endings for the reasons Laura mentioned. It affords you the time to stop and reflect, pay attention and cherish the growth and memories made. This internship was my first job after graduation, and I especially appreciated how well my mentor set me up with a variety of opportunities- I worked on projects ranging from vegetation monitoring for sage grouse, tagging monarch  butterflies, monitoring livestock utilization, surveying riparian areas, electro-shocking fish, plant and cultural clearances, and many, many more. I’m still not sure which direction I want my career to go, but I definitely have a better understanding of my likes and dislikes, and also how I like to work.

Tagging monarch butterflies!

Rainbow trout caught while conducting electro-shock fishing surveys on the Big Wood River.

I’m thankful for the variety of experiences, (especially for my first job) but hope to have a narrower focus during my next position. One thing that I missed this summer was having the opportunity to oversee my own project from start to finish. I realized that as boring as office work is, it’s satisfying to plan, collect the data, analyze, and synthesize everything and feel a sense of ownership and accomplishment from a project. I will also say that there were some projects this summer that I did not initially expect to be doing, such as GPS’ing fence and assessing range improvements. However, everything is really about how you frame it. Even though these tasks weren’t the most glamorous, I know that the work we were doing was valuable and useful to the agency. One thing that stands out to me about the BLM, and our office in particular, is the team attitude. Everyone pulls together to get the work done- archaeologists and range techs fight fires, seasonals will help in dispatch, and even staff from different offices will pull together to get pressing work done. I really admired this team attitude, and was happy to try new things and hopefully ease the workload for some of the staff.

Borah Peak- at 12,667′ its the highest in Idaho

All in all, I’ve had an incredible summer/fall here in Idaho. I had a great crew of interns, and its hard to overstate how valuable that is, especially when you sometimes spend 8 hours in a truck together. I’ve made the most of my free time- the beauty of Idaho and the surrounding states is really indescribable. I’ve gotten to climb 400 ft towers in City of Rocks, backpack to snow-covered alpine lakes in the Sawtooth Range, summit the highest peak in Idaho, and countless other breathtaking experiences. I was really lucky to find an amazing community here, thanks to the shared interest of rock climbing. To potential future interns- I know getting the offer to move to a random place you’ve never heard of can be intimidating, but it’s so rewarding to get out of your comfort zone, hear fresh perspectives, and explore a new place! And I promise your resume will thank you as well.

Ericameria nauseosa in bloom during sunset at City of Rocks

Well, thanks for reading if you made it to the end of this. I’m driving back home to Colorado tomorrow and then enjoying unemployment for a little bit by heading down to Honduras to scuba dive. Thanks to everyone at the Shoshone Field Office, especially my mentor Joanna, fellow interns Eileen, Barbara, and Soli, and partners in adventure- Jenny and Patricia.

POTR5 aka Populus tremuloides aka aspens showing off their fall colors

Grand Teton National Park was only a short 4 hour drive away!

Farewell!

Savanna

Shoshone Field Office

…seven, eight, nine, ten, rock.

One, two three … rock.

After an hour of weighing myself down, I remove each of the twenty-two rocks from my pocket and count them, one rock per 100 flower heads. Three hundred and eighty more flower heads to rip apart and throw into the plastic bag hanging between my hands. My lower back, thanks to my cloth backpack, is drenched by the mid-summer’s heat along the foothills of Ferris Mountain, a somewhat isolated stretch of elevation and evergreens among the sagebrush steppe, north of Rawlins, Wyoming.

I close my eyes and take a long sip of water. I pause and look out at Julia, my Seeds of Success partner, among the knee-high grasses, other species waiting to be collected. She picks quickly, and I figure that I am at least twenty behind. I put my water bottle away, look down, and continue walking along the hoary balsamroot (AKA Balsamorhiza incana), our first collection of the year.

The field season, believe it or not, is coming to a close. The morning breeze now forces me to wear a sweater longer into the day than I expected to at this point in the summer and, furthermore, only a handful of species are left in flower. The delicate wildflowers that previously colorfully exploded are long since drooped; their seeds collected or dispersed along the Wyoming plains.

Sagebrush all around

We have already collected, photographed, packaged and shipped more than two-dozen seed collections to Bend, Oregon in order to be cleaned and stored for a multitude of purposes. By our estimates, we should have more than 10,000 seeds from each collection, the minimum needed for a valid collection. Some collections last half an hour, some up to ten hours, but each was painstakingly collected by hand.

Many grasses for instance, produce seeds with little effort and allow them to be dispersed by the wind or birds, making them the easiest to strip into our bags. Some other plants were quite obstinate in making our lives difficult by producing large seedpods, but with only three seeds (on average) per pod, such as Golden Banner. Despite the time needed to collect, there is nothing more satisfying than having a bag full of hundreds of brown crispy pods, bulging with black and brown beans.

Penstemon haydenii, a very rare flower (that elk love to browse)

This summer we did not only collect seeds. Twice now we have ventured out with Frank Blomquist, our mentor, and Bonnie Heidel, a Wyoming botanist, to monitor rare Penstemons. Penstemon haydenii was rediscovered by Frank not far from town in a chain of resident sand dunes that still continue to crawl along the landscape, one gust of wind at a time. The other, Penstemon gibbensii, is a BLM species of concern, and along with two 100-foot transects, all four of us counted each species in an effort to track their populations as compared to other desert-dwelling species. Coincidentally, one transect cut went right over a coyote skeleton. I brought the complete skull home with me, another souvenir of Wyoming.

Coyote skull, before cleaning it

The plant and animal species of southern Wyoming now seem commonplace, a side-effect of living in the middle of nowhere for almost four-months now. I have enjoyed discovering new things, especially within the plant and bird worlds, but also with fishing, a hobby widespread in Wyoming. I will never forget standing along a bend of the North Platte under a full moon, with nighthawks whirling above my head and a line resting just outside the current, crawdads desperately tugging the worm from the hook. It didn’t matter if I caught anything, the moment’s tranquility mattered most.

Surveying

I will look back at my time in Wyoming, and despite the small-town woes and windy days, I will remember all of the things I learned, both professional and life skills. I have enjoyed my days working with the BLM through the Chicago Botanic Gardens and wish Wyoming the best of luck now that the chilly fall and winter are on the horizon and the plants get ready for another hiatus from being collected by interns.

Kyle Donahue

Rawlins Field Office, Bureau of Land Management

This past month we’ve gotten the opportunity to work on a bunch of really cool projects! We’ve tagged monarch butterflies, gone caving, helped assess wetland function, and electrofished!

We spent a couple days chasing down butterflies. It was lots of fun! Idaho Fish and Game tags monarch butterflies to try and track their migration patterns. This is important especially since a recent study by the US Fish and Wildlife Service found that monarch butterfly populations in the west are dramatically declining. The tags are little stickers, about the size of a hole punch with tiny identification numbers on them. Hopefully, the butterflies will get recaptured somewhere along their migration route so we learn more about what happens to them once they leave Idaho. I got to tag one and test it for disease. Here is a shot of me holding the butterfly I tagged!

Unfortunately, the butterflies were too few and too fast so we weren’t able to catch very many. We did, however, catch some cool bumblebees! Below is a series of pictures of me catching Hunt’s bumblebee (Bombus huntii) so it can be photographed, identified and uploaded to a citizen science project on the Bumble Bee Watch app.

I also really enjoyed helping with Properly Functioning Condition assessments for wetlands. I enjoyed getting to learn new riparian plants and hiking along beautiful streams, like this one below. It was a cool experience to explore wetlands here in the desert, because they are so different than the ones I’m used to back east.

Last week, fall/winter came all of a sudden. We even got some flurries up north in the Sawtooth National Forest where we were electrofishing. It was beautiful but pretty chilly for standing waist deep in a river.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to work with wildlife more this season. It’s something I haven’t really done before and it’s been fun!