It may be getting hot (kinda like standing in front of 500 blow dryers), but I still would not trade this experience for anything. The amazing people I have had the privilege of working with, the opportunities I have received, and the friends I have made along the way have all be nothing short of spectacular.

Working with the Springs Preserve has been amazing I get to work with the public  in a beautiful garden, which I can now say I am a part of, is a wonderful way to spend my Sundays at work. I get to work with children and discusses different botany topics, it is really rewarding when you get to see them get really involved and interested in the lessons. Working in the plant propagation facility is a great way for Allison and I to work with volunteers and manage watering schedule, planting projects, and catalog the species in the facility.

Still the field work is the most rewarding experience. The fact that I have seen more of the Mojave Desert in the four month I have been in Vegas, than most of the people whom have lived in the city for 20 years really makes me proud of the work I am doing. The opportunity to explore the different areas, from creosote to pinyons,  and brush up on my keying skills is wonderful. I would never trade this experience for anything, I am just amazed I am only doing this for another month.

And I got to backpack the Grand Canyon south rim to the Colorado River this week end, so thats cool too.

Dan Goldbacher

This internship continues to be an outstanding experience. Each week is something new, a different place, new species, or new interactions with the public. I am truly enjoying how each day is different from the last. I have really enjoyed working at the Springs Preserve and being involved with the different education programs as well as working with the horticulturalist and gardens team in the plant propagation facility. It has given me a chance to see how much organization and team work go into the Springs Preserve be the wonderful place it is. Still, as great as working at the preserve is, my favorite is going out in the field and working for the SOS program. I have not stopped learning about the local area, the different flora and fauna, and how not to get lost in the desert. We recently went to Gold Butte, which is about three hours north west of Vegas. We had the opportunity to do some seed monitoring and collecting with the Great Basin Institute seed techs as well as camp with them and the GBI restoration team. It was an amazingly beautiful area (you could still see the lights from Vegas tho), and a wonderful opportunity for Alison and I to work with a different group and ask question about the different project they were working on.

Dan Goldbacher                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Springs Preserve, Las Vegas, NV

This has been amazing. I was recently involved with Springs Preserve plant sale. It was fun to man a both and put a salespersons cap on for a bit (I am more suited for field work, I think). I just keep gaining new experiences and meeting new wonderful people. Allison and I have been going out to monitor our different field sites, but the dry winter hasn’t help. We got some rain in the Mojave this weekend and maybe we will get lucky.

We recently took a trip in the field with Great Basin Institute interns to help collect some juniper berries. It was a great learning experience to see exactly how the different forms were filled out as well as all of the steps involved in with the SOS program. I am looking forward to the official training next week at Red Rock.

On a personal note, this area is awesome. I have been to Red Rock, Zion, Valley of Fire, and I am taking a trip to San Diego next week to see the Phils. I would have never had the opportunity to do so much in such a short amount of time if not for this program. I hope and expect to keep learning and gaining new experience each week.

P.S. GO FLYERS

From Cedar Swamps to the Mojave is a bit of a change. On the drive from south Jersey to Las Vegas I could not stop thinking,  wow this is going to be an amazing experience, and please truck don’t give up on me now. So far I was right, the truck made it and everything has been wonderful. The Springs Preserve is an amazing place with a lot of great people which make it work. So far we have been working on an upcoming plant sale at the preserve, organizing the different species, potting, and collecting plants from the area. We recently took a group of volunteers from UNLV to a site to do a cactus salvage, where we removed several species of cacti from a future development site and replanted them for the sale. It was a great experience  working with the students and actually watching them get excited when they would find the cacti. This past week we also began to scout the surrounding areas for the SOS program. It was awesome to get out there in the middle of nowhere and get to see some of the different areas we would be collecting, as well as a great chance to learn the different species throughout the desert.  I can’t wait for the desert to awake and really get going.

I still have a lot to learn about the desert and the different aspects of the  job, but luckily I am surrounded by wonderful mentors and coworkers. This is going to be fun. I am looking forward to the next five months.