Imagine going to work and not knowing what is in store for the day. Sure you have a schedule that you follow but things come up when you are out in the field.
My 2 weeks were awesome. My mentor Bruce and I scouted a lake that needs to be purged of invasive bullfrogs. We worked out a plan to remove the frogs and get them to people who will use them. We also watered willow tree saplings, which were planted by local school children 2 years ago. The trees line the shore of the dry Toro Creek for roughly a mile. Watering the willows is one of the many important ongoing projects of Fort Ord. Setting up the watering system is a project in itself. We have a giant bladder bag that holds about 150 gallons of water in the bed of our truck and we have to get as close as we can to the bank of the creek, which sometimes isn’t close at all. But that doesn’t matter because we have about 500 ft or more of hose that we run to water the trees. After we get to the creek in the truck, we set up this awesome little water pup that feeds off the battery of the truck. One end of the pump is attached to a regular garden hose and the other end is attached to a mini hose that is fed into the bladder bag. We water as far as we can with the amount of hose and then we move to a new spot up the creek. We also watered Badger Hills, a new public parking lot at the edge of Fort Ord. Weed eradication is also a big project. Black mustard and bull thistle are a few of the biggies. We take our volunteer groups from Paradigm out to do weeds, water oak trees and water 2 days a week.
Bruce was asked to go survey for red legged frogs and tiger salamanders at a future digital radio tower building site. That was awesome. Surveying for the animals consisted of marking active burrows and then putting a camera down the burrow and looking for the endangered species. The surveying was great in itself but also watching the interaction with all the parties involved. Bruce was the biologist, project leader David, the contractor Will, the onsite project leader Joe and the systems operator Chuck. Bruce had a list of objectives the contractors needed to abide by, in order of the project to proceed. I was not expecting the contractors to be as accommodating as they were. The men involved seemed to actually care about what we were trying to do. They asked good questions and were very engaging. We had lunch with them after everything was said and done. It made me realize that maybe things are changing for the better. That maybe environmentalists and builders can work together and come up with solutions, which will make everyone happy.

Interspersed in all of the above were meetings about Fort Ord Public Land Day and the 2013 Central California Invasive Weed Symposium. We also engaged in brushing trails, seed collecting, surveying trails and working with the Sierra club. The Sierra club was our last day before the furlough. It’s been a real bummer not getting to go to the BLM the last almost 2 weeks. Hopefully everything get’s resolved soon so we can get back out there and take care of our projects.

As my mentor said in the beginning of October, I came in under odd circumstances with the federal government, so why should my departure be any different? My internship was put on hold in the spring due to the sequester. Getting furloughed certainly was not the way I wanted to end my term in Cedar City, Utah, however an important part of this entire experience is understanding the ins-and-outs of working for the U.S. government. While I wish I was leaving on a better note, being furloughed does not take away from the fantastic experience I had here.

I have always been drawn towards studying endangered species, and I found it particularly rewarding to work on projects that involved sensitive species here in southwest Utah. Collecting data on greater sage grouse habitat, relocating Utah prairie dogs and conducting raptor surveys always felt worthwhile afterwards. The information my co-intern Jake and I collected didn’t simply get put into a folder and forgotten about, but used in making management decisions. And that is pretty gratifying, knowing that your work as an intern is valuable.

Learning to identify whole bunch of new plants and birds was key for me, since I was totally unfamiliar with the ecosystem of the southwest. I came knowing only Wyoming sage brush and a handful of western birds and I’m leaving feeling confident in my ability to name plants and animals found throughout the field office. (Though I must admit, some of those grasses are a real pain!) After learning our key species Jake and I were on our own for the majority of the time. Our mentor was supportive and got us involved with great projects, but rarely came out to the field with us. Being able to carry out protocols, navigate to remote corners of the field office, and getting our clunky GPS unit to work were daily difficulties. But it always felt good finishing a challenging day. It is a boosts to your self-confidence and is appreciated by supervisors.

My favorite tasks during this field season were early morning bird surveys. There were a handful of days that began at 3am but they were worth it because each sunrise was stunning and the birds never failed to put on a show. These surveys were a good learning experience for me on a few levels – Turns out I can get up at an ungodly hour on consecutive days and carry out good work, and I actually like doing it. Also, 5am is a good time to learn bird calls.

Male Blue Grosbeak Passerina caerulea

On a personal note, living in Utah was an adventure. I was nicely situated between lots of fantastic hiking spots, and spent plenty of time in Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks and Cedar Breaks National Monument. For future CLM interns, I highly recommend exploring your surroundings during your time off. Get a feel for the new culture and new environment. I don’t know if I’ll ever be back in this corner of the world, so I had to make sure to see as much as this spectacular land as possible. Besides, it’s fun driving around beautiful country and maybe getting a little lost along the way.

Hoodoos in Dixie National Forest

I never would have found myself out in Utah if it was not for the CLM internship program. This was an adventure-and-a-half. For budding biologists and botanists, this program is for you. I wish I could say a proper good-bye to the men and women in my office that made this a wonderful field season, but unfortunately I can’t stick around until the end of the government shutdown. I’m moving on to another adventure, and will be using the skills I’ve gained during my time in Utah.

Be safe, drink plenty of water, and I’ll see you in the field!

Maria

Despite the government shutdown, the past four weeks have been filled with some interest. During a full week, the entire computer system was down due to the Colorado flooding. No email, no shared drive, no files (a lot less than what a number of people experienced). It was time for the office to get creative. As a group, the four of us interns received some fuels duties from the office fire ecologist which involved split team mapping of soon-to-be-burnt slash piles and assessing previously burnt ones. The assessment of burnt piles was basically supplying photo points and native/invasive regeneration documentation. The soon-to-be-burnt pile mapping was quite literally that… mapping piles of slash. While it may not seem that important, this practice actually helps the fire crews find and burn every pile during the heavy snows in winter so their resources are spent more accurately and wisely. This was somewhat monotonous, but what a wonderful break from the office. I’ll take a paid high elevation woodland hike any day!

Around the same area, we had a small amount of trail maintenance going on. Three of us on that day kicked that trail’s butt. Albeit short for a trail, it held some gorgeous views and perfect weather. Lunch on a shaded rock with some cool people and more high elevation hiking… yes please!

Having the chance to receive saw training (“chainsaw” if you’re a newb like me), I jumped on that as fast as I could. The classroom part of training held at a nearby field office supplied the chance to meet some other BLMers and get some absolutely incredible Mexican fast food for lunch. Did you say, “what the what!?” Me too. Authentic Mexican as fast food? Unbelievable. That stuff was awesome! One plate being enough to feed two, it kept my appetite at bay for quite some time afterwards. My eyes are open to a new world of possibility. It’s probably for the best that this place is a long drive from Buffalo. I’d be broke, heavy, and happy. Then again, maybe that’s the purpose of life. Later on in the week, us trainees went out with our awesome office fire crew for the field part of training. I felt great on how my cuts and felling (dropping) went. The trees landed right where I predicted they would. Limbing (bucking) was a fun chore, but my gosh do those saws get heavy. Assessing rangeland all summer can make one’s arms soft. As a side note for the hyper-concerned about cutting trees, they were near a major road, close to town, and adjoined a larger stretch of forest. The cutting of smaller trees serves as a fire break so the larger trees don’t catch, destroying the whole forest and local buildings causing more harm.

While on furlough, I’ve been looking for other jobs for when this awesome one ends – Harder than it seems. I’ve also been hanging out with my fellow interns – Always a blast. And I’ve been exposing myself to educational documentaries of every kind – The more you know.

Any-who, it’s been an interesting ride lately. What else does the world have to offer?

Greetings from Wyoming!

We don’t mess around here in Laramie—October 4 marked our first snow, and it was not just a little flurry. It’s hard to say how many inches it was, because the wind whipped it away so fast. In the front yard there were four inches, while the back had drifts a foot deep. But it really is still Autumn, and it was practically gone the next day. The field season is rapidly coming to a close. But what a summer it’s been!

Although I’m doing Seeds Of Success work, part of this learning experience at the University of Wyoming is getting the insider’s perspective on graduate school. Much of the excess seed we collect will come back here to be used for research, and I have enjoyed getting to know the students in the lab and being able to help them with their projects. Because of being here, I have a much clearer idea of what higher education means for me and what I want from a program. These internships are designed to help people make contacts and get the kinds of experiences that will be valuable down the road, and that has definitely been true for me.

Currently waiting for the government to reopen, and I am chomping at the bit to get back out there and start bringing in the sage!

Cheers,
Abby D.