Hello, howdy, and salutations!
I once again have the responsibility, nay, the honor to blog about my experience through the CLM program (and one of the things I’ve learned is how hard it is to write about yourself). So an introduction is in order, my name is Nate Teich and I am a returning intern (last summer was in Worland, WY) to the CLM program in Carson City, NV. I am roughly 2.5 months into the internship and my mind is already buzzing with everything I have learned so far. This internship is far more technical then my last and I feel like I can truly use the term botanist (…..loosely) to describe my position. It has been challenging in the best way possible and I am thrilled to be given the chance to develop myself professionally.
The differences between the internships is interesting. I feel like I have an uncommon opportunity among the interns to see how the BLM operates from office to office. I think the biggest differences so far are the fact that the Sierra Front field office is practically in the middle of a metropolis compared to Worland. With more people, I feel like the BLM is much more in the public eye here, I’m not sure yet how I feel about that but it will be something for me to think about during my time here. The second biggest difference is I’m not the only intern here (hooray!). My coworkers have been great so far, we have all come in with fairly different backgrounds and each brings something different to the team.
As far as the actual work goes it has been incredibly varied so far. We have worked on SoS vouchers, put in fire transects (hiking in some amazing areas to do so), worked on plant identification, created conservation management plans, began restoration efforts on weed infested areas, and become certified pesticides applicators. I am really excited for the field season to start up, to get moving on transect monitoring, seed collection, weed surveying and eradication, and who knows what else. One of the best things about this job for me is that fact that I will rarely spend too long doing one thing. Variety is the spice of life!
I am really looking forward to this year, I plan on making the most of it and really doing some solid exploring of Nevada and California. Hope you enjoyed the snapshot of my life!
-Nate