This internship continues to be an outstanding experience. Each week is something new, a different place, new species, or new interactions with the public. I am truly enjoying how each day is different from the last. I have really enjoyed working at the Springs Preserve and being involved with the different education programs as well as working with the horticulturalist and gardens team in the plant propagation facility. It has given me a chance to see how much organization and team work go into the Springs Preserve be the wonderful place it is. Still, as great as working at the preserve is, my favorite is going out in the field and working for the SOS program. I have not stopped learning about the local area, the different flora and fauna, and how not to get lost in the desert. We recently went to Gold Butte, which is about three hours north west of Vegas. We had the opportunity to do some seed monitoring and collecting with the Great Basin Institute seed techs as well as camp with them and the GBI restoration team. It was an amazingly beautiful area (you could still see the lights from Vegas tho), and a wonderful opportunity for Alison and I to work with a different group and ask question about the different project they were working on.

Dan Goldbacher                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Springs Preserve, Las Vegas, NV