Hello for the final time!
I’m writing this blog post on my last day as a CLM intern here at the Lakeview BLM field office. Lucy and I have been cleaning out the herbarium, finishing off notes for next year’s crew, and figuring out our plans for the next few months. It feels like yesterday when I drove into town and saw the giant cowboy on the edge of town. Time flies, huh?

I have learned a lot about how the BLM runs and I have made meaningful connections while I have been working here. There isn’t nearly as much public land in Ohio, so it was interesting to see how a federal agency runs and how these people apply their degrees outside of the world of academia. I also have learned that we, as young people, have a very tough job market ahead of us. Today the Secretary of the Interior visited our office and discussed some of the challenges we face as federal land management agencies. She mentioned how agencies have less money in their budgets, the challenges of relaying to the public the importance of our work, and the lack of funding that is going towards programs to recruit youth into federal agencies as the Baby-boomers begin to retire in record numbers. This hit home; this is my problem!

Thanks to this internship, I have gained valuable experience that will hopefully make me a more competitive candidate as I apply to more positions in the future and I have made connections that may lead to new, unexpected opportunities. I am very grateful that I was able to participate in this internship and I highly recommend it!
It has been real Oregon, but I am off to new adventures!
-Anna