After being out in the Wyoming backcountry almost every day for the past three months, I have acquired a number of stories that might be described as close encounters. Close encounters to getting the truck stuck at the end of the day, and close encounters with angry wildlife. So here is the account of things I’ve experience that, with any luck, will not get back to my mother.

Let’s begin with a list I made during my first few weeks of anticipated dangers in the Wyoming outback:

1. Cow Mafia (cows constantly blocking the road and potentially stampeding the truck)
2. Shot by Rancher (for accidentally walking on private land)
3. Large Mammals – Bears, Mountain Lions, Wild Horses?
4. Rattlesnakes
5. Raptor Attack (while checking on nest sites)
6. Truck Fire from built up cheat grass (that I cleaned out)
7. Damage to internal organs from sketchy two-tracks
8. H2S gas poisoning

To be fair, I haven’t experienced most of these. On the other hand, none of them are completely out of the question. Understanding the dangers to working in the field, I am thankful for the safety protocols and trainings put in place to keep interns and permanent employees safe, Such protocols have helped me remain unharmed throughout the summer, even during “close encounters”.

The journey of dangerous encounters begins with my beloved and young, but rather disheartened work truck. I was warned that buildup of cheat grass and other grasses from previous owners, or even just through the field season, has caused trucks to briefly catch on fire while driving down the highway. But the truck I was assigned gives all other trucks in this category a run for their money. After some brief mountain driving, my truck began to inch toward hotter temperatures, so I checked under the hood.

What I found was packed in, solidified cheat grass like no other. It was in the engine block, under the engine block, and in parts of the truck that I can’t name. After hours of pulling out cheat grass and mud one handful at a time, and after three very large snow shovel sized chunks of debris, the truck can be deemed drivable, but still really full of mud and plant debris. My truck may have been close to catching on fire, but such a disaster has been avoided and prevented for the future.

On another day in the field, at the end of a long day of mapping cheat grass, I stumbled upon a rattlesnake about 3 feet from my foot.  We were equally surprised by each other. It coiled up, moved into striking pose, and rattled at me. Mind you, I was about 30 minutes of walking from the truck and 2 hours away from the nearest hospital. My field partner backed off and ran down the hill a few meters away.  Luckily, I did not get bitten by a rattlesnake. And luckily, I was confident in my training and my partner’s training had the story gone differently.

On my own time, while exploring the Black Hills National Forest, I decided to camp in a dispersed area alone. Unfortunately, said area was unapproved by the residential mountain lion. As the sun was beginning to set, I heard an odd, repetitive noise about 300 feet away, over the hill. I wasn’t quite sure what it was, being in such a touristy area, I thought it was just from people. As late dusk approached, I heard the noise again. Only, this time, it was 30 feet from my tent, and definitely pacing, and I recognized the sound as a mountain lion. I lay still in my tent until it stopped growling, and my training for mountain lions kicked in despite my fear. I packed up all my stuff, flashed the horn of my car (which was a few meters away), and after scaring it off, I left my tent to sleep in my car.

Luckily, all of these instances, whether serious or minor, ended with unharmed interns and undamaged property. However, being in circumstances like these has made me (and probably, my mom) grateful for the safety precautions in place as I work daily in the wild Wyoming country.  When close encounters have happy endings, they at least make for a good story, but stories that definitely don’t need to get back to my mother.

One fine day here in Wyoming a botany intern lead a range intern and a wildlife intern (that’s me!) off into the wild to collect bitterroot seeds. Thankfully, Chris (the botany intern) had planned ahead on this day. Knowing full well that his help was well intentioned but not your typical over-the-top plant loving SOS interns, some much-needed precautions were taken.

First, we were given a rundown of collection protocol so that we didn’t damage the population. I did not realize how many seeds we would need to collect!! This little info session also made me realize how long it had been since I’d had to count past 100…by ones. He finally told us what we were collecting…you guessed it Lewisia rediviva or more commonly known as Bitterroot. Coli (the range intern) and I were so excited! It is one of the most spectacularly colored wildflowers in our office!

Bitterroot Flowers

Bitterroot Flowers

Anticipating a field covered in lovely flowers imagine my slightly let down expression when we were faced with this.

Collection Site

But, all was not lost! The most spectacularly colored flower transformed into a capsule that almost resembled a magnolia blossom (one of my favorite flowers).

Capsule in Life Position

Coli and I were delighted that we were still going to collect something beautiful! The three of us descended upon the hillside and it was not long before all of our bags began to fill with the lovely little pink & cream capsules scarcely bigger than the tip of your thumb.

Collected Capsules

After the collection was done we came back and poured out our bags into a box to let the seeds dry before they continue on their journey. At the end of the day I reflected on my experience and as much fun as this day was, I think I was placed in the right department. Plants are amazing but to me they just aren’t as much fun to search for as the wild creatures of Wyoming.

Collected Capsules

Hello!

Well, it has been a while since I’ve previously updated this blog on my adventures with the BLM office in Burley and as one can imagine, there are certainly a lot of gaps to fill. I’ll be posting twice this week in order to make up for lost time. If you thought there was going to be more discussion on the town name of Idahome, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I just thought it would be an interesting tidbit of knowledge to add to your day. The rest of my blog will be entirely on what we have been up to at the Burley office! But gee, isn’t that town name awfully silly? (No offense directed towards anyway from Idahome or Idaho. It definitely puts a smile on my face!)

Following my first few weeks at Burley, we were given the opportunity to assist with an on-going raptor nest monitoring project. These surveys entailed us tracking previously marked points where nests have been found in the past and investigating whether or not the nest was still active — and if so, who is using it. Unfortunately, we ran into a lot more raven nests than I would personally like to find, however we did run into a few swainson’s hawk and ferruginous hawk nests along the way. It’s astonishing to run into so many ferruginous hawks and golden eagles up here, honestly. As a transplant from the southeast, I am used to having these birds cataloged as “rare” in my brain, and to see them in such abundance here in their prime habitat is truly amazing. Getting a chance to brush up on my raptor identification isn’t too shabby of a perk either, if I do say so myself! Not only did we get to track down previous nest sites, but we even had the opportunity to try and identify new nests built this year!

Mountains near some of our raptor nest survey sites

In addition to surveying for raptors and working on AIM transects, our office gave us a chance later in the season to do an overall biological survey on certain significant points on BLM land. One of the BLM biologists needed us to survey as much as we can including birds, small mammals, insects, etc. While we didn’t see anything too rare or unexpected, it certainly beats staying in the office, especially when you are surrounded by common nighthawks. I even spotted my first badger on one of our surveys! That’s exciting stuff right there.

Scarlet Gilia we found during our AIM transect. The camera really can’t do that color justice!

Indian paintbrush

Raptors have certainly not been the only focus in our lives though. We’ve dipped into surveying for multiple taxa including beetles! Idaho Fish and Game took time out of their day to take us, as well as the CLM interns based in Shoshone, for a day of surveying. The biologist was specifically looking for a certain species of jewel beetle, but welcomed all of our catches, with or without jewel beetles. The specific jewel beetle he was looking for fed on the roots of buckwheat plants, but due to their feeding habits and elusive nature, these little guys are apparently pretty hard to get a hold of! Nevertheless, it was a wonderful day to learn some entomology and get a chance to swing some nets outdoors. I would like to mention though, one of the Shoshone interns did manage to capture a beetle of interest! Exciting news that made the day well worth it. What’s more exciting is when you consider the fact that according to the Fish and Game biologist, there is a significant lack of data in the field of entomology, especially with concern to beetles, here in Idaho. That means there’s an entire world of entomological discoveries yet to be explored here in Idaho, waiting for someone to answer the siren call! If only there were more time in the season to go play with bugs..

Last but not least, I can’t forget to mention the workshop provided at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The garden itself was truly a spectacle. I’ve only been to Chicago a few times myself and never in any of those trips was I even aware of the botanic garden’s presence. Walking through the garden during and after the workshop was like strolling through a dream. Each section of the garden was immaculate and you can certainly tell there is a lot of love and hard work put into it. To top things off, there was even a butterfly garden exhibit on display that week! (self-proclaimed butterfly maniac over here) I was honestly very upset to have to leave so soon! I’d probably be content to live among the butterflies for a few months…. That’s normal, right? This feeling may also be attributed to all the friends and acquaintances I made during that week as well. It’s hard to say goodbye! Between the educational workshop sessions, the blooming of beautiful and strange flowers and friendships, it was surely a week to remember.

(Prepare yourself – picture dump ahead!)

One of many bonsai displayed at the Chicago Botanic Garden. So vibrant!

Beautiful succulent with a diamond (raindrop, if you look with less imagination) in the middle.

Big Ol’ Dr. Seuss lookin’ onion

From the butterfly garden

Leaf or butterfly? You decide.

Caught some summer lovin’ at the garden.

Nothing like making new, long-lasting connections at something so brief such as our workshop. 🙂

I have been settled into Buffalo, Wyoming for one month now and I have very much been enjoying my work and my play. I was brought in to fill the need for GIS help within this very busy BLM office. Unfortunately, this would have to wait for a few weeks while my access cards and clearance to come through. But I would not be sitting idly by as such a busy office abounds with wonderful opportunities to go into the field. I got to get hands on with the AIM process, land reclamation, plugging defunct mineral wells, and my personal favorite, proper flow and conditioning of a river (this one required sidehilling up and down a 1200 foot canyon wall) that took my breath away (literally and figuratively). Once my access was granted, I’ve taken every opportunity to increase my GIS skills by learning from my mentor, Courtney. I’ve created several wall maps to be  used in the office and have started digesting the wildlife data that comes into the office.

My play around Buffalo has featured much hiking and fishing. Despite the obscene cost of an out of state fishing license, I took the plunge and have been enjoying the local lakes and streams. This is my first foray into trout fishing and the results have been mixed at best. The hiking is also a new beast to me as I didn’t realize there would be a difference between Michigan hiking shape and Wyoming hiking shape. The mountains and rivers provide the perfect backdrop for an afternoons travels and eating a sandwich alongside a mountain lake surround by the sounds of nature just puts a soul at ease.

The balance has been great and with so much still yet to explore, I look forward to my next four months here in Buffalo. And, like the title said, I got my own cubicle.

One of my goals this summer (as it usually is every summer) was to “get in better shape”. The plan was to be as active as possible in my free time, exploring the numerous mountain ranges around me. This way I would have fun “getting in shape”, and get to know the surrounding area at the same time. I have successfully hiked several of the mountains and locations on my list, but little did I know that I would be training during work hours as well.

During one field day, Hank and I set out with our supervisor and Outdoor Recreation Planner, Rick, to complete some much needed trail maintenance on our Four Bear Trail. Seeing as all of our field office’s UTVs were occupied for the day, we took a wheelbarrow from the yard and loaded it up with our (HEAVY!) equipment and took turns pushing it down the trail.

Fumbling awkwardly down the trail with heavy equipment, we soon gave up and redistributed our materials. Hank and I decided to carry the U-channel posts Mulan style while Rick pushed the wheelbarrow.

Ask me how many times I sang Mulan’s “I’ll make a man out of you” that day

In addition to building strength, I have learned how to use many new and interesting tools like a post pounder, an auger, a Pulaski, a rock bar, a chop saw, and countless others. I have also been to the hardware stores in town more times than I can remember.

Trying out our new gas-powered post pounder

Drilling holes with an auger is actually pretty fun

What has been memorable about learning to use these tools, though, is the patience, understanding, and willingness of my coworkers to teach me how to use them. What I also love, is that they encourage me to try new tools, and help me when I falter. This may not seem like a big deal for some. However, in my field office I am the only female on the recreation crew. This experience has been both frustrating and rewarding. Frustrating because I swear half the time we are on two separate wavelengths. The guys are always doing things the opposite way I would have done them. The result has been many misunderstandings, lots of learning from each other and finished results that we can all be proud of!

Here are a few cool projects we worked on throughout the month of August:

One of the livestock tanks we installed after the June fire melted the old ones. This project required a lot of team work, equipment and coordination to dig ditches, build a dam in a nearby creek, level the ground, set the tire, mix and pour the concrete, hook up and install the hardware to fill the tank with water, and attach a wildlife ramp for small critters that may fall into the tank.

A newly stained cabin on Carter Mountain. Not picture are the hundreds of angry horseflies found embedded in its walls. This project was easy to complete, but what was challenging was coordinating a two hour drive up the mountain on a newly opened “road” with all of our equipment needed for that day.

Newly installed trail marker on our Four Bear Trail. This project looks fairly simply, but required cutting, prepping and assembling the sign at our warehouse, hauling it two miles up the trail, and installing it with a nearly 50 lb. post pounder.

This experience has also been very rewarding because my coworkers continuously push me to grow in new ways, and empower me by treating me as an equal. With that being said, there are times where I am frustrated because I am not physically equal. I have always been strong “for a girl”. But there are times when my muscles tire far before any of theirs. And there are times I need help lifting the post pounder because its really heavy and I’m not tall enough to place it on top of the post. At first I was embarrassed in these situations because I didn’t want them to think less of me. But I am not a quitter by any means, and I would just keep trying. Soon I would surprise myself in what I was truly capable of.

I fully believe women can do anything men can do. But I have accepted that she may need to work harder in order to do it. This job has taught me that I am always up for that challenge if I have a strong support system. Thanks guys!

Melissa Higley

Recreation Intern

Bureau of Land Management ~ Cody Field Office

This past month I had the opportunity to participate in an Arroyo Toad survey along Piru Creek, in California. The survey began around 6 pm so we had plenty of time to survey the toads in both daylight, and nighttime. As we moved from pool to pool, we saw a couple of tadpoles, but no toadlets, which was slightly disappointing. We were beginning to worry that upstream water diversion and pollution had decimated the toad population.

As the sun began to drop, our worries turned into excitement. With the growing darkness, the toadlets began to appear out of no were. One minute we were strolling along the creek bed, not seeing a single toad, and the next we had to shake our feet before setting them down to avoid stepping on the little critters.

Upon further inspection of the toads, we realized not all of them were the Arroyo Toads we were looking for, however we were still thrilled to see the creek bed come to life. As we were bent down looking at one of the toadlets, one of my co-interns came up from behind me, informing me that there were several toads just a foot away. As I turned to look, one jumped on my back, and began to make its way towards my head. Imagining the Parent Trap scene where the lizard crawls into the stepmother’s mouth, I closed my eyes, covered my ears, and tried to keep my mouth closed. The whole time I could feel the small toad climbing up my back. When it got to my shoulder, I could feel every one of its small, sticky toes as it crawled toward my neck. After what felt like five minutes, the toadlet finally decided it was done exploring, and jumped off, never to be seen again.

For the rest of the night, I could feel the toad’s sticky toes climbing on my shoulder, which might have been the weirdest feeling I have ever felt.

I’ve only got a few weeks left with the BLM, so I’ve packed in the field surveys and am holed up in the office going through my data.

Not that being at the office is a bad thing.

(Also incorporating some sightings that my co-workers have passed along over the course of the season—thanks guys!) So far, I have learned the following:

Continue reading →

A change of pace has taken place since the WRI interns finished their internship. I have been spending less time in the field collecting seeds, and spending more time organizing and updating my insect collection. Nevertheless, I am still pretty pleased with how I am spending my time! I have been sorting through the bees and butterflies I have caught, and attempting to identify them has been pretty challenging. The most valuable identification resources I have been working with have been a mix of books, websites and diagrams (i.e. Gretchen LeBuhn’s “Field Guide to Common Native Bees of California,” BugGuide.com, Ken Davenport’s “Butterflies of Kern and Tulare Counties, California”). I also have to give credit to Nevin Cullen and Peter Jump for sharing their expertise with me. They have taught me quite a bit about bees, moths and butterflies since I’ve started this collection!

Here Nevin soothes a fritillary with his bare hands. Smashing!

There are there are about three insects in my collection that remain a mystery. One of them is a bumblebee, a male specimen that doesn’t resemble anything listed in Johnathan Koch, James Strange and Paul Williams’  “Bumble Bees of the Western United States.” I’ve included a photo of the mystery bombus below.

Mystery Bombus sp.

The second mystery insect is also a bee, but this one is smaller than a honey bee, is a metallic-black color with scopae on its coxa and femur (sadly, I do not have a picture of this bee!). And my third mystery insect was a very photogenic beetle I found on some Yampa. As you can see, it has very long antennae, long legs, and wood-brown elytra with black markings. If anybody who reads this has any guesses, let me know!

Mystery Beetle

Identification is only one part of processing the insects. Once I have made my guess on what an insect may be, I have to pin it and posture it correctly. Proper pinning is a matter of using a pinning block that places the insect at about 3/4 the height of the pin. The pin should be placed through the right side of the insect’s thorax. If the insect is too small to pin, you stick the pin through a small piece of triangular card stock paper with a dot of glue on the end, and stick the insect to the piece of glue. Once the insect is pinned properly, you must posture them to make them look presentable in your display box. I posture my insects with forceps and a magnifying glass. The need for posturing comes from the fact that the insects usually contract their limbs into stiff and strange positions when they die. If I’m lucky, their limbs and wings will be flexible and stay in the position that I put them in. If not, their limbs, wings and heads usually snap off. The objective is to posture the insects so that all of their limbs are showing and all pairs of wings are spread open. I will admit, I definitely have some horror stories when it comes to pinning and posturing. It’s always a shame throwing away a good butterfly when its head pops off.

My collection as of 8/8/17. It still needs some rearranging and more insects to fill that blank space.

Hi everyone! Time is flying. I have been doing lots of random projects, which suits me just fine. One thing I have been working on lately is a sign for a pollinator garden at First Step, a school for children and adults with developmental disabilities. This garden was a collaboration between the USFS and the Arkansas Native Plant Society. My goals were to explain this complex concept in simple terms and to help dispel the myth that bees and butterflies are the only pollinators. Through this project, I learned that some bees feed pollen to their larvae, and that within the U.S., bats only pollinate plants in the Southwestern states (not in Arkansas). Here is the sign:

My mentor Susan took me and the two Pathways interns at our office out on a tour of the Ouachitas on Tuesday. Jesi and Malcolm are focused on filing and rarely get to leave the office. Sadly, today is their last day before they go back to school. I’m jealous… I love learning! I’ll just have to learn harder on my own. Here is a picture of me, Jesi and Malcolm on the little Missouri river.

One of the coolest things we saw on our tour was a luna moth that had just emerged from its chrysalis, its wings still crinkled!

Yesterday, Susan and I worked on cleaning up the pollinator garden outside of the Jessieville district office, releasing young milkweeds from all the invasive sericea lespedeeza. I have also been tediously processing all the seeds I collected, since it seems that we will not be sending any seeds to Bend, Oregon. I have a feeling that there are much better ways of doing it than what I am doing, but I am just doing my best!

Take care you guys.