Hello All!
It’s been almost a month since I started my first CLM internship here in Wenatchee, Wa which seems strange – the time has just flown by. I’ve spent the past few weeks becoming acquainted with the structure and politics of the OR/WA BLM, getting my feet wet (so to speak) in the field, and learning ArcMap and its related programs.
The BLM is now the second federal agency I’ve worked for. The first being the National Park Service as a SCA intern at Devils Tower National Monument. Immediately I noticed some differences in how the two agencies operate. As a steward of multi-use land, BLM employees often have to work in the murky gray area where development and conservation meet – something the NPS doesn’t have to deal with. This constant compromise is something I’ve always found really interesting and I’m excited to be able to talk with people who deal with this everyday.
Already I’ve had the opportunity to go out in the field with my mentors and check out a piece of BLM land that a gravel company wants to mine. I learned about prioritizing efforts when it comes to development projects – with multi-use land you can’t give a flat out “no” to all development. It turned out with this particular piece of land, the biggest concern seemed to be the potential for the spread of noxious weeds to other areas via the gravel the company mined and shipped out. We began talking about mitigations for this, mostly options for controlling the weeds before mining began.
Potential site of new gravel mine.
We’ve also begun doing Golden Eagle surveys. Perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far from this project has been the importance of keeping organized and detailed records. Another intern began this project in 2012 and finding her data and notes, as well as those from the Washington DFW, has been very difficult and slowed down our new data collection. I’ve decided to make leaving an obvious and understandable “bread crumb trail” one of my main goals for this internship.
Surveyin’ for Golden Eagles
I spent this past week down in Vale, OR at the district office doing an ArcPad and GeoBob Mobile training. I’ve had very little exposure to ArcMap and ArcPad before so it’s been a total crash course. I feel like my basic familiarity with the program, combined with these trainings, has me feeling more comfortable and proficient. In this arena, Justin – my fellow Wenatchee intern – has been very helpful in giving me quick tutorials. I’m looking forward to putting in a lot of hours with GIS and becoming an expert myself.
Getting all trained up.
Oh, and I’ve spent my weekends/afternoons climbing in the Cascades outside the faux Bavarian town of Leavenworth just 30 min away.
Ready for an afternoon of bouldering.
Till next time!
