Miriam Johnston
Buffalo, Wyoming
BLM

I’ve always lived in the East, so deciduous forests, Eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), and the rolling Appalachians are intimately familiar and feel definitively like home. When I first arrived here in Buffalo, Wyoming, I had never seen sagebrush (Artemisia spp.). The pronghorns (Antilocapra americana) looked like they belonged on a photo safari, and there were cacti (Opuntia spp.) growing out of the actual ground instead of in pots (?!). The word “range” was only a synonym for geographical distribution or of the “Ohhhhhh, home on the” variety, and I quickly discovered that snow-capped peaks DO exist beyond pictures.

I’m currently in the middle of my second week here at the Buffalo BLM, and though I’m still often struck by my comparatively unfamiliar surroundings, I don’t feel so out of context anymore. Thanks to my thorough and friendly training, I recognize the vast majority of the flora and fauna I see out on the range, and I’m starting to feel more at home here. Beyond the “Look! It’s a… thing” stage. Whew. It’s been quite an adventure, and I’ve gotten to see a lot of the northeastern Wyoming countryside, which is stunning (pictures later…). Definitely a good introduction.

Now that I’ve settled in a bit and taken a few leaps forward re. natural history (with, of course, a few leaps left to go), I’m really looking forward to expanding my horizons. My job description is quite varied – from rangeland monitoring to sage-grouse projects – and my supervisor is helping us to experience as much as we can. Today, we’re going to specific range sites to do photo monitoring. Tomorrow, we’re leaving the office at 4 a.m. (optional, but worth it!) to tag along on a riparian bird survey. This active office also houses hydrology, fire, and natural resource specialists, as well as petroleum engineering technicians. There is SO much to learn here; I’m really going to have to make these next five months count.