Four weeks ago I repacked the entire contents of my college room and made the 6-hour drive to Lakeview, Oregon. Although I was thrilled to be moving back to the colorful desert after a 4-year hiatus in rainy western Washington, my untrained eyes saw only sagebrush and cheat grass on the roadside as I sang along to oldies in the car. After one intense week of fieldwork with the three other range interns, the familiar landscape along the highway suddenly transformed before my eyes. After altering my search pattern, I not only spied the rabbitbrushes and bunchgrasses mixed in with the sagebrush I know and love, but I found myself subconsciously keeping a running tally of family names and species in my head.

That classic issue that many biology students know intimately – that of having their uninhibited enthusiasm about the natural world met with bored and blank stares – has not been an issue here. Everyone around me is so excited about working for the CLM. We talk about plants and sage grouse during work, after going home, and even on weekend hikes and camping trips. We would probably talk about them before work too, if we conversed at all through our 6:00 am stupor.

Most importantly, my reservations about living in a middle-of-nowhere town have been assuaged. However, the locals have been as friendly as can be and the accessibility to nature more than makes up for the lack of conveniences and abundance of conservative values. I don’t envy my college friends striking out to New York City or Los Angeles, as far from the natural world as a person can get. A couple of weeks here have awarded me with spectacular views of antelope, wild horses, jackrabbits, sandhill cranes and pelicans, as well as fresh bear tracks, bobcat scat, geysers, astoundingly gigantic stars, and a triple rainbow. These combined with the desert colors and constant sunshine keep me energized about going to work each day.

-Anna Moeller

Castilleja and rock formations in the Lakeview District