As I sit down to write my second to last blog I cannot help but to reminiscence about my experience here in Roswell for the last seven months; however,  I will write more about that in my next blog which will also be regrettably my last. But for now, here is my second to last entry.
With only a couple of weeks left at the Roswell Field Office, I am still exploring and learning from every section of the office. This week in particular I am getting to work with the Archaeology section! When one of the Archaeologists on staff asked if I would be willing to survey for ancient artifacts I of course said yes! So today we headed out east of town to an area where a pipeline is being planned. Archaeologists for the BLM not only survey certain sites where there is known and/or could possibly be artifacts but also any area where the surface is going to be disturbed. We walked in total about 6 miles up and down the sand dunes on each side of the proposed pipeline looking for any evidence of historic value. I was so excited to help that I probably asked about a half dozen times if this rock or piece of metal was of any importance, which unfortunately they weren’t, but they told me to keep it up and that I was getting closer. Then finally after we had completed about three-quarters of the loop I found something and it was a confirmed Isolated Manifestation or IM as the archaeologist call it! I was so excited to have found something of historic value, which is something that is 50 years or older for the BLM!!! Although that was the only historically valued item we found along the pipeline, she took us out to an already discovered site just a little north of where we were and there we got to see a wide variety of pottery and tools!!! And although we did not find much today, we are going to have the chance in the next couple of days to hopefully find some more!

-Stephanie Burkhardt

Roswell Field Office