This past weekend while trekking high in the Sierra Nevada, beneath massive slabs of granite turned to the sky, I couldn’t help but reflect on the past five months of my CLM internship.  It seems the grand vistas from high in the clear mountain air always give me a fresh view on life and its circumstances.  It always astonishes me how fast time goes past- how seasons turn and seasons change.  I suppose the theme of my time spent in northeastern California working as a wildlife intern in the Alturas Field Office – BLM could be “surprise.”  Things don’t always work out the way you foresee them unfolding, and even if the road takes some unexpected turns, it is in our best interest to integrate and learn from those experiences.

Looking back, I came into this internship with a single intention in mind.  And that was to immerse myself in a federal land management agency in order to better understand the internal workings and processes which lead to large scale land management decisions within the public domain.  I came into this internship having had the experience of working for a non-profit conservation organization.  I understood how these comparatively small institutions pour their heart and resources into issues which they feel are meaningful and worthwhile.  Coming in, I had experience working within an academic research paradigm.  I understood how universities and their affiliates design and implement research projects to better understand ecological processes.  It seemed that within my experiences there was a gap, and this gap was a lack of understanding of how governmental agencies at the federal and state level interact with one another to develop and implement land management decisions and practices.

Through the hectic field season it was at times difficult to keep this intention in sight and in mind.  It can be difficult to understand the implications of the work you’re completing in the field and how it fits within the larger framework of policy and land management.  It is a good practice to make these sorts of connections.  Looking back, I can say that I accomplished my single intention.  I learned a lot about how these agencies operate and interact with one another, I gained a new vocabulary, and I gained a fairly wide variety of experience in the interactions I had with the botanist, wildlife biologist, fire detail, and other specialists within the office.  Most of all I learned a lot about myself.  I gained clarity into what I need in order to successfully complete my professional duties. I learned a lot about the sort of work environment and community I desire to have around me.  And I learned how to better communicate these needs.  Not to mention, I got to experience a new part of the world and immerse myself in a new community.  All-in-all, an action packed and informative summer.

Until next time- from Northern California,

Phil Krening

Wildlife Intern

Alturas, CA – BLM

pkrening@gmail.com

Mt. Shasta from the Trinity NF (copyright Phillip Krening 2013) http://headwaters.sqsp.com