As my time here in Burns comes to an end, I’m reflecting on all of the best things that I’ve experienced over the past 5 months. Without further ado, here is my internship summarized in threes:
3 Coolest Field Work Sites:
1. The Steens Mountains – this view was super gorge-ous.
2. The Alvord Desert – the playa was so cool to drive on!
3. Coyote Gap – it was exhilarating trying to outrun the rain.
3 New Field Techniques:
- Pace 180 and Step-point vegetation surveys
- Multiple Indicator Monitoring (MIM) of streams
- Back-country navigation via map + GPS
3 Favorite Place in Oregon:
1. The Oregon Coast – just beautiful (and the Country Fair was quite interesting)
2. Newberry National Volcanic Monument
3. Crater Lake – coldest, clearest water I’ve ever swam in.
3 Favorite Trips Outside of Oregon:
1. Seattle, WA – an amazing Labor Day weekend.
2. South Warner Wilderness, CA – my first backpacking trip!
3. Boise, ID – floating down the Boise River was a highlight of the summer.
3 Things I Learned:
- Always be open-minded and receptive. Spend your life learning from others, embracing different opinions, and expanding your viewpoints.
- First impressions are important – exude an air of poise and confidence.
- Travel as often as possible. The world is so much more vast than you think; there will never be enough time to see it all.
And so ends my internship with the Chicago Botanic Garden & the Burns District BLM. Time for my next adventure!
-Austin Yantes