Hi all!
This is the first post of my internship. I started working in Pinedale, Wyoming the first week of June. I am from the east coast so Wyoming is a whole new experience for me but it has been great so far! I am lucky to have mountain ranges in almost every direction I look. The Wyoming Range is to the West, the Wind Rivers are to the East and the Gros Ventre (pronounced “grow vont”) and Tetons are to the North. It is beautiful out here and the recreation opportunities are fantastic. Camping, hiking, fishing, rafting, climbling, and kayaking are just some of the things I plan on my weekends.
Fremont Lake – Just outside Pinedale
I am a wildlife biology intern this summer and I have already had plenty to learn. Plant identification is what has been taking up a lot of the space in my mind so far. I work for the BLM so I have been able to go out and do vegetation transects on grazing allotments. There are plenty of forbs and grasses to learn out there and you don’t just learn one name but the common name, scientific name, USDA code, and any other short hand your co-workers come up with! It has been very enlightening since I spent most of my time focusing on animal names but you learn quickly when you are collecting the data every day.
Out doing transects
Phlox multiflora – One of my favorites
I have also been lucky enough to work with the Game and Fish department out here and help do vegetation monitoring on treated sites and radio telemetry on elk.
Elk transmitter – finding birth locations
The main project that the wildlife seasonal and I will be working on this summer is a Lynx Habitat Inventory in the Wyoming Range up on Deadline Ridge, a very encouraging name don’t you think? We have more plants to learn but identifying the tree species has come a bit quicker for me than identifying grasses. We have only gone out a few days now but I can’t complain about hiking in some nice tree stands!
Pinedale is a pretty small town but there are plenty of management offices around, including the BLM, Wyoming Game and Fish, the National Forest Service, and the Sublette County Conservation District. It has been nice to be able to help with projects from different groups and to meet all the other seasonal employees. This weekend is the Green River Rendezvous festival in Pinedale that is supposed to relive the history of the Mountain Man. There should be food, horses, mountain men, a parade, and arts and crafts. For a small town, Pinedale does a good job of entertaining!
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/RendezvousDays.HTM
So all in all, I am having an amazing time but I have to go get ready for the Rodeo!
BLM – Pinedale, Wyoming