Working here in Carson City has presented many challenges for me, both personally and professionally. First and foremost was getting used to the weather, growing up in Oregon I’m accommodated to a more mild and moist climate so moving to Nevada with such a arid environment took awhile to acclimate. I think if one were to go from Nevada to Oregon one would think that we Oregonians are amphibians by comparison because we practically live in water. Most of my other personal challenges centered around living on my own, at the beginning it was frustrating learning all about finding apartments, signing leases, setting up electricity, and the list goes on; but it does fill you with a sense of pride being self reliant and independent. One challenge for me that has been both professional and personal has been working as a part of a team. I’ve worked in teams before but nothing as structured or integrated as this, learning to be a part of a group is something that I have enjoyed very much, I feel that being part of the team here has made me a better person and a better employee.

Recently we’ve been working in the field more often and I’ve enjoyed ever minute of it; it’s great to be out there seeing amazing species of plants and animals. I’ve seen some amazing wildflowers which I never realized were out here, every day in the field has brought me to appreciate the different ecosystems of Nevada more and more. There are two particular field days which are memorable to me, the first was a day we spent in the Red Rock Range and that was memorable for several reasons, it was our first time in the field, I had a chance to learn how to use a GPS, and I loved hiking  to the top of the range and seeing the whole valley and the land beyond. The second field day that was memorable to me was a weed removal and cleanup of Swan Lake near Reno, we accomplished so much that day and I found a Mallard nest purely by accident, it was perfectly concealed in the grass and there were at least 8 eggs in the nest so that was really cool.

I’m looking forward to our next adventure out here in Carson City and I hope to post a few photographs of the flora that we regularly encounter