It is hard to believe that 5 months can pass so quickly. I came into this internship with high expectations, and yet this program managed to exceed those expectations! I have learned so much in ways I did not anticipate. I am very grateful for the experience working within the Bureau of Land Management. It was a great introduction for what to expect with a career in a government agency.

I have moved away from home before, but I always had a friend making the transition with me. For the first time in my life, I moved to a place where I knew absolutely no one. Yes it was scary, but it was a wonderful learning experience and an opportunity to grow as an individual. Throughout my time in Susanville I met so many wonderful people, and I am sad to say goodbye.

The West has really stolen my heart. From the mountains to the coast, I love it all.

My next goal is to work in a National Park. If anyone knows of any good opportunities, please let me know!

Cheers,

Rachael Payer

Before I write my final FINAL blog post, I thought I should include some pictures of the area that I have had the pleasure of living in for the past 7 months due to my CLM internship. I really feel lucky to have landed in central Oregon, and that I won the “BLM location lottery” so to speak. Working here and learning about local ecology helped to enrich my experiences outside of work too. After all, part of being an intern in the CLM program is exploring a new land, at work or play, and at the best times, it is both! Being in the center of the state was great because most any part of Oregon was accessible within a 4-5 hour drive. It is an extremely diverse place with countless things to do and very friendly residents. I drove most of the Oregon coast, backpacked in the breathtaking Wallowa mountains in eastern OR, and soaked in hot springs in the middle of sagebrush country. Here are some pictures to pay tribute to a lovely state.

enjoying the high desert with my little buddy

Elk!

The wild and desolate southern OR coast

Redwoods (small forests in OR)

Typical high desert-blue mountains ecoregion where I worked and collected seeds

Lava flow in the Cascades, the three sisters mountains

The Painted Hills

Rainy day in the usually dry Ochoco Ntnl Forest dominated by golden tamaracks and ponderosa pine

Crater Lake – unbelievably blue

Tumalo Falls, less than an hour from where I lived in OR

Wallowa Mountains

The past 6 months of this internship have been a wild, wonderful roller coaster. I couldn’t have asked for a better job right out of college!

A quick 5 things that this job has taught me:

1. Marshes are unpredictable; tread lightly or you may get a boot full of sulfur water.
2. Seed collecting during a hurricane can be difficult. And wet. (Shout out to Hurricane Joaquin.)
3. Permethrin. Permethrin. Permethrin.
4. Mosquito face nets are also a good investment (especially for Chincoteague Island).
5. Hotel continental breakfasts are life savers. Especially when they have chocolate milk.

It has been an amazing experience to see the landscapes change so drastically from blooming, lush meadows to crunchy, withered fields.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MD. September // November.

And a few fun pictures from our trips. The color scheme of November is brown // grey.

Collecting Spartina patens is an arduous task. Sometimes you just have to lay down in the marsh.

Carefully treading through the marshes at Blackwater NWR, MD.

Grey skies at Pettigrew State Park, NC

Blackwater NWR, MD

Clear skies at Robinson Neck Preserve, MD

Farewell, friends.