I got to Buffalo, WY a little over a week ago, a timespan that seems impossibly short given the whirlwind of moving, meeting, and mingling that has occupied everything since. Oh, to think back on that young lass, doe-eyed and naive in the ways of AIM methodology and Wyoming weather patterns. Now, a week-long lifetime later, wise to unbiased sample design and the importance of QA/QC, I shiver forth through a foot of Mid-May snow where previously I wore shorts. It’s honestly awesome.

The snowy ride back from Lander. Though not ideal for field work, it makes for the most glorious landscape.

Buffalo’s a sweet town in north eastern Wyoming with a great public library (statewide interlibrary loans!! amazing!!) and a population of 4,585. I am one of nine CLM interns at the field office, all of whom are pretty rad and it’s been nice to flow through that getting-to-know-you process and begin to familiarize with actual people instead of anticipatory illusions. Six of us are dealing with veg so we share a room and a lot of time. We’ve been in Lander, WY for the past couple days, learning about AIM, DIMA, and Calibration, all of which has been fun as an intro to sound data management and this internship, though I remain dubious of my capability when it comes to grass ID.

Intern crew! Whiling lunchtime away at our training field site.

In that vein, this first week has mostly consisted of training. Training to collect data, training to drive government vehicles, training to find the grocery store, training to then find the cheaper grocery store in the next town over (s/o to Sheridan). As overwhelming as the work-related information has been to take in, the culture shock is what’s really bent me backwards. It’s lessening exponentially, but just as a point of reference, when I got here I didn’t even know Buffalo Bill was a real person. Thought he was just some fictional character made of myth. Serious egg on my face. As an adult, I’ve never needed a car or ridden a horse and I’ve always been able to rely on cell service and walk down the street while maintaining some anonymity. This will be, quite distinctly, my first rodeo. And as embarrassing and uncomfortable as ignorance is, I am extremely grateful to get this opportunity to learn the ropes, explore new territory, and grow both in plant knowledge and personally. It’s going to be a good summer 🙂

A riveting roller coaster on the Buffalo scene circa 1866.