Just 3 weeks away from the conclusion of my internship, I am finding myself writing and rewriting lists of everything I have left to do.  Everyone warned me that five months would fly by, but can my time here really be almost over?  This season we were able to make 16 seed collections and have high hopes for a few more.  Between working just two days a week on scouting and collecting seed and the very dry season, my partner and I initially set a low goal of ten seed collections.  We have long since passed that mark and did a little happy dance last week when we made three collections in one day.  The higher elevation plants, especially those near streams, have held on this year and have provided us with abundant seed collection opportunities.  It has been wonderful to get out of the Las Vegas Valley where temperatures have exceeded 113 degrees and I will never complain about having to tip-toe along a stream to make a collection.

Though I was initially timid about taking a job in Las Vegas, I am so thankful that I did.  This job and landscape have not always been easy, but the challenge was very much welcomed.  I adjusted to the heat better than I imagined I could have and am proud of myself for moving to such an unfamiliar landscape.  This was my first field work experience and I have had a blast.  My advice to future applicants and other interns is to just dive in!  A fellow peer once said, “It’s okay to be terrified,” and that is so very true.  I was terrified to move to a city where I knew no one, to take my first job out of college and prove myself as a botanist, to drive a 4WD truck, even to drive an electric cart!  I had so many fears along the way but every day found myself saying yes and moving forward.  I have accomplished so much in my time here and feel prepared to venture forward as a more informed, trained, and confident botanist.  I will always be thankful for my time in Las Vegas and am excited to see what the future holds!

Allison Clark

Springs Preserve, Las Vegas