It’s hard to believe it’s already been a month since my last post; September has gone by surprisingly fast.

In mid-September, I drove down to Ashland, OR to tour the National Fish & Wildlife Forensic Laboratory with a group of my fellow CLM interns. This was definitely a highlight of my month; this tour was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I learned so much that had not even been on the radar of my knowledge base. Perhaps that was one reason I found the tour so fascinating: everything I learned was completely new to me, and I love to learn.

Back in the Wetlands Office, my coworker and I are knee-deep in monitoring data that we are wrangling into reports. We have a system down: my coworker, who has much more monitoring experience than me, writes the meat of the report, such as data analysis and management recommendations, and I proofread and edit all of the reports, happily putting my English degree to work.

Just this last week, we’ve also had the opportunity to work in conjunction with the Willamette Resources and Educational Network (WREN). WREN was leading a lessons where students participated in a seeding activity, spreading Rumex salicifolia, Epilobium densiflorum, Madia elegans, and Plagiobothrys figuratus seeds. We helped facilitate the seeding portion of the lesson, and it was nice to see students so enthusiastic about science and restoration.