Rain pounds against the windows of my new home – a double-wide trailer on a farm in Burns, Oregon. I’ve just returned from a long day of fishing, mushroom hunting, and gun shooting (some of our coworkers were kind enough to immerse us interns in the Burns way of life). The rain is much needed, as the area is in the midst of a four-year drought. Burns is located in sagebrush country, an ecosystem typical of the high, intermountain deserts of the West, and a far cry from the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” that I’m accustomed to. In a region already ravaged by wildfires, the drought has only intensified the issue. Therefore, the BLM began the Emergency Stabilization & Rehabilitation (ESR) program to combat the damage done by the fires. One of my primary duties as an intern this summer will be to perform vegetation surveys to monitor the progress of the rehab program.
Fire damage in Malheur National Forest.
All of the morels we found!
I have officially completed my first week as an intern for the Burns BLM, my very first post-college job – yay! The three other interns and I spent the week doing various training activities. On Tuesday we completed defensive driving and four wheel drive training (necessary for the rough roads out here). On Wednesday and Thursday we got to go out in the field and practice the point intercept and Pace 180° methods for vegetation sampling. Our coworkers gave us a run down on the ecosystem, the wildfires, and the local flora. So far, it seems as though there isn’t all that much plant diversity, with sagebrush (three subspecies of A. tridentata), several bunch grasses (e.g. F. idahoensis, P. secunda, A. thurberianum), and the occasional juniper tree (J. occidentalis) accounting for the majority of species.
One of the 20 density plots we do at each site.
On Friday we did a self-guided tour through Harney County to familiarize ourselves with the immense area managed by the Burns BLM. The district covers 3.36 million acres of public land in addition to large areas of private, Federal, and State lands – a daunting task for a new intern! As we drove, the landscape alternated between farmland, rangeland, and endless sagebrush, all framed by the Steens Mountains. The vastness of land out here is truly awe-inspiring; I have never seen so much open space. A highlight of the day was seeing a mama Great Horned Owl and her three babies, and listening to them hoot back and forth to each other.
Mother owl staring me down.
Wetlands here are few and far between.
Overall, I’m very excited for the five months I have in Burns. Everyone I’ve met has been extremely nice, the district is beautiful, and there are lots of animals on the farm to play with (including two adorable, friendly cats). Here’s to the adventures that lay ahead!
Enjoying a sunset on the farm after work.
Austin Yantes
Burns District BLM