2015 has brought me back to the Bishop Field Office, and I am grateful for the opportunity to return. The start of last season brought excitement with everything, as all was new. This season my pleasure has come with the chance to return to familiar places, notice changes, evaluate projects, and explore further. Unfortunately, when it comes to noticing changes, all the focus revolves around drought, but I don’t want to get hung up on what I can’t control.
Last year my techniques for seed scouting and collection progressed as the season went along. I began to cover more ground, spend more time out of the car and out of the office; often doing multiple collections at once. After two weeks of work it is clear that collecting will be much more difficult in the Mojave and Great Basin this season, and thus I am even more thankful to have a framework of skills and local knowledge. Locations that I listed last year as potential collection sites are now barren. For me this is motivation to get out there and work harder.
To return to my desk and pick up where I left off, is a positive feeling that is difficult to describe. Let’s just say it feels a lot better to walk in on day one and know exactly what I need to be doing, and who everyone is; as opposed to clicking through those not so invigorating DOI Learn courses with a new and busy environment bustling behind me and my headphones. At the beginning of last season I had an accomplished sense of progression from my previous job, and at the end of that season I was proud of what I learned and had experienced through the CLM program. Can’t wait to see how far I go this time around.
-Tyler