My first few weeks with the Eagle Lake Field Office have been nothing short of an adventure! The first week was full of training and refreshers to get me back in the swing of things since my last internship with the CLM in the Buffalo Field Office.

Our advisor took us out a few times and showed us the ropes. She gave us a couple quick botany lessons about the local flora, went over major landmarks, familiarized us with the maps and sent us on our way.

It took us a while to get the hang of the field office, but with only a few minor missed turns and vehicle lock-outs, we have started to get the hang of the whole intern thing. It also only took a few days driving in our trusty Wrangler, Mango Jerry, to determine this field season would be one of productivity, laughter, and inside jokes about our most abundant collection of the Bottlebrush Squirreltail.

So far, we have made a whopping 14 collections, with many more to come. It is a lot of fun collecting in such a large group. With three other interns, the days pass by so quickly! My favorite collection so far has been this trefoil species (or sage grouse sundaes as we called them) we collected in the Nevada part of our field office. The location was absolutely gorgeous and the seed was so easy to collect.

Lillie and Andrea collecting some seed from one of our sites.

In addition to the SOS collections we have done, we have also had a chance to learn a little bit about other projects throughout the field office. We have learned to monitor populations of special status plants within our field office. We were also given the opportunity to learn about the feral horses in the area and what the BLM has done to ensure the health of the field office!

When visiting the BLM corrals, we got up close and personal with this happy fella. He looks a little feisty, but was more than happy to get a pat on the nose.

In addition to all the working in the field office, we have had the chance to go on some amazing weekend adventures. From Napa, where we met Natalie Portman, to San Fran, where we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, to our own backyard in Susanville, where I rock climbed for the first time, I can honestly say I am having the best of times on this adventure!

Rock Climbing in Susanville!

After climbing to the top of Mount Lassen in Lassen National Volcanic Park

And if all else fails, and the day in the sun is hot and rough, I always have a beautiful backyard view to come home to!

Until next time!

Jill