Hey Everybody,

Here, at last, is the long overdue farewell blog for my CLM internship in Needles, CA. But don’t worry, this will not be my last CLM blog! I have taken and started a new internship in Bishop, CA along the eastern Sierra’s. In the business and chaos of travel, moving, and getting used to a new place and job, I have neglected to write this blog post. But now I’ve had some time to slow down and think about my time in the Mojave Desert, and it’s about time that I share some of those thoughts.

First of all, the landscape and ecology of the desert is amazing! I don’t think I ever would have sought out the Mojave on my own, but I am very thankful that I ended up there, and have been able to get to know the place. It is thoroughly unique. From my first day in the desert to my last, the landscape never ceased to demand my attention and amazement. The vastness of space in the open desert is incredible. It is interrupted by mountains and valleys, but still one’s gaze can extend for 70 or 80 miles in all directions. And often, that great expanse of space is permeated by stillness and silence. Some days bring the sound of insects and birds, or the frantic scurrying of lizards, but many times a gentle breeze would provide the only visible movement for miles. The place is stunningly beautiful, and sometimes intimidating. On days when I worked alone in isolated places, I was consistently reminded of my own smallness. It was a striking feeling that I won’t forget.

The life that endures and survives in the desert is also amazing. If you spend any time there, you begin to feel just how inhospitable the place can be. The heat of summer is staggering. The dryness is complete and inescapable. When rain finally does come, it often arrives violently with storms and floods that can devastate the land. Living things face challenges everywhere, but the difficulties and threats posed by this hot desert are always in your face. I’m just a weak little human myself, and I was constantly aware that I absolutely could not survive out there on my own. So it is amazing to me that so many plants, animals, and other living things can make it. Their margin for error is tiny, and the desert is a place where they simply cannot survive any mistakes. The adaptations that allow life to make it here are as varied and special as the species that possess them – unique organisms for a nearly impossible home. Learning about and working with the species that survive here has treated me to an incredible display of diversity.

Work with the Needles BLM was wonderful, and desert ecology was fascinating, but I must also say that Needles was a very difficult place to live. The vastness and openness of the desert is beautiful, but the accompanying isolation is a challenge. Needles lies right along the Colorado River and Interstate 40, both a source of life and connection for the people there, but the town is still small, and the isolation is real. Loneliness was often a burden for me. But the difficulties of life in Needles also produced growth and learning that may prove valuable to me for the rest of my life. The desert was a lonely place, but I worked really hard to develop relationships there, and I ended up with a small group of friends that kept me healthy and sane through the year. I could not have made it without them.

So here’s some advice for fellow CLM interns who end up living in isolated and difficult places: Invest in the community and the people there. Put in the effort to find and join the community. You will benefit from it. Some of these isolated, small towns are surprisingly full of life, others can be very sad places. Either way, take the time to learn about the people who live there. Practice empathy. Be positive, appreciative, and encouraging. It will be worth it for you, and the people around you. Look at that, in this blog you get plant stories AND free life advice!

Here’s another bit of short, practical advice for any future CLM interns that are offered the position in Needles. The work and opportunity provided to me by my mentor, Lara, was exceptional. The work of seed collecting and plant monitoring was fascinating. The flexibility I was given to plan my own projects and schedule was exceptional. I was given tremendous encouragement and freedom to make this internship what I wanted it to be, so that it benefited me as much as possible. And the skills, experience, and professional benefit I have gained from this job have been fantastic. I had to be very self-driven and self-reliant to learn well and to do good work here, but I was given great space and opportunity to develop that independence. And they kept me around for a whole year! So if those things are valuable to you, know that this office and this internship will not disappoint.

Here’s one last reflection about the Mojave. I was able to spend a full 12 months working for the BLM in Needles. Sticking with the desert for the cycle of a full year dramatically increased the richness and value of my experience there. I started my internship in May, and if I had only been able to stay through my original 5-month commitment, I would have left in October, and only been able to live through summer and early autumn in Needles. That is no way to see the desert. If you are ever able to spend time in a desert, even if it that means just the occasional visit, understand that the character of the desert changes dramatically with the seasons. Find a way to experience these changes. Summer may be intensely uncomfortable and challenging, but it is awe-inspiring in its brutality. The power of the monsoons in late summer and early fall is startling, and the resulting fall bloom of plants is a treat of color. The coolness and gentle, soaking rains of winter are wonderful, and deeply refreshing. And of course, the bloom of spring flowers in the desert can be magical and spectacular. All of those seasons are different, and all of them are memorable. I’m sure this can be said of most places, but it certainly holds true in the desert. It is a place worth getting to know, worth exploring, and worth seeing throughout the year.

That’s all from Needles! I’ll be back with a blog from the new job in Bishop soon!

Until Next Time,

Steve Tillman

Needles BLM Office