I am not exactly sure when it happened, it certainly wasn’t that recent, but at some point while being out here in Buffalo the desolation no longer started to seem so desolate. The emptiness became part of the grandeur and beauty.

While I won’t say I enjoy the long distances between this town and the next, I have arrived at a point where driving a couple hundred miles is no longer a chore or an exercise in mental fortitude. Rather now, even if I have driven a route multiple times in the week prior to the current trip, I get to experience something that feels new each time. Whether that is the weather patterns, the wildlife I may see, or simply what’s playing on the local NPR station.

Certainly there’s a part of me that wishes there could be less driving associated with managing such wide swathes of land, but the realist in me acknowledges that at the current time that’s just not possible. With articles coming out touting the abilities of drones, and the ever expanding scope of work they can accomplish, maybe one day much of my work can be done sitting in a dark temperature controlled room. But then while that may have less of a footprint, that wouldn’t really be work I’d enjoy doing.

For now though, let’s just say that I am happy I get to venture forth into the woods and desert every so often, and make some money while doing so.

Cresting horizons

Powering the world over

Clockwork of nature

Ocean of Sagebrush

Long days spent searching for nests

Scour for ticks, sleep easy

Flying to Chitown

Humidity gone unmissed

New faces, fun times

Teaching youth science

Maps and orienteering

Sick a day later

ArcGIS work

One monitor, slow progress

Plenty of work left.

Beautiful Buffalo, Wyoming, where the elevation is greater than the population.

Buffalo, Wy

While Montana may have the title of “Big Sky Country,” my time spent here so far has caused me to believe that Wyoming is certainly giving them a run for their money. Whether it has been from the early morning sunrises while out helping with bird watching in the ocean of sagebrush, the mid afternoon hikes noticing the clouds roll in, or escaping to the mountains and watching the immeasurable amount of stars glide across the night, Wyoming too has some big skies.

Wyoming Sunrise

Weston Hills

Wyoming Nightlights

So far – trainings aside – I have been learning about the Buffalo Field Office’s style of management and ways in which it collaborates with the local region in regards to the resources it is charged with. Through the course of this program I will be spending my time aiding with recreation planning and management, as well as providing help when possible to the wildlife portion of the resources department. This has included reading up on and visiting specific sections and trails, as well as learning the routes commonly used to access these areas.

Additionally, I am able to return to using a long lost friend, which comes in the form of ArcGIS. While it has been awhile since I have been afforded the opportunity to use this formidable software, it is a chance that I hope to make the best of.

Here are a few of the specific things I have been up:

• Building out a list of attributes and other data points to gather while out in the field, which will later be pulled into ArcGIS, to work within the scope and guidelines of a Travel and Transportation Management Plan.
• Creating and refining lesson plans to aid in the outreach and education of summer camps/classes.
• Inventorying wildlife habitat, specifically: Sagebrush obligate bird species.

So far the past couple weeks have been a very welcomed change of pace from my previous work experiences. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this internship has in store.

D. Erf

BFO BLM