My internship placement is at the BLM’s Arizona Strip Field Office. As someone who has spent almost all her life east of the Mississippi, I have been greatly impressed by the beautiful landscapes. My primary motivations for participating in the CLM Internship Program were to determine whether I’d like to pursue a career in management and to gain new skills, and I can unhesitantly state that I have accomplished both those goals! I have acquired GPS/GIS skills, gained experience with the NEPA process, and learned more about monitoring. Some of the activities in which I have been involved have included surveying for desert tortoises, assessing health in bighorn sheep, monitoring peregrine falcons, and inventorying livestock waters for the presence of bird ladders. Although my internship is with the Wildlife Program, I’ve also had the opportunity to participate in rare plant monitoring and to learn about ongoing restoration projects.
Menyon Heflin, BLM, Arizona Strip Field Office, AZ
