Wisconsin girl meets the Golden West!

Although I arrived in Wenatchee, Washington for my CLM internship two weeks ago today, I still look around as I step outside every morning with a sense of wonder and excitement. The city is in a valley–to the east, across the glittering Columbia, are foothills and orchards quickly giving way to a rolling expanse of sagebrush steppe, while to the west looms the magnificent Cascade mountain range. Having lived in the Midwest my entire life, I’m overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the landscapes that surround me, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it. It’s a different world here, and I love it already.

Despite the fact that we’ve been living in a motel for the past two weeks waiting for our apartment to become available, my fellow CLM intern and I have been settling in here effortlessly. Although larger than most places I’ve lived, the city has a small-town feel that makes it seem very homey to me. Most everyone we’ve met here has been friendly, and they all seem to have a suggestion of a trail we need to hike, a restaurant we need to try, or a town we need to explore. I don’t think we’ll ever run out of recreational opportunities!

Since both of us are new to the area, Katherine (my fellow intern) and I have been working hard to learn the flora and fauna of the sagebrush steppe. So far, most of our work days have been spent in the local BLM office, completing various training requirements, studying field guides, reading up on fire ecology, and learning to use ArcMap and ArcPad, which will be vital to our upcoming fieldwork. We’ve had three days in the field so far, shadowing our supervisors and learning to navigate to various study sites on some of the roughest roads I’ve ever driven! We’ve had some exciting wildlife sightings so far–on our first day out, we saw a sage grouse AND two golden eagles! We also learned how long it can take simply to arrive at a site. Earlier this week, we traveled to a place called McCartney Creek to help collect data on the riparian system. The creek was located in a canyon, and simply finding a safe route down took almost an hour! I never imagined that there would be so much topography to navigate in the sagebrush steppe, but I’m learning quickly that this place is full of surprises.

April is already shaping up to be a busy month. Today, Katherine and I are finally moving into our apartment! Hooray! I’m not sure what I’m more excited for–having a kitchen or having my own bedroom! However, we won’t have long to enjoy it. Next week, we’re traveling to Prineville, Oregon for a GeoBOB (Geographic Biotic Observation) training course. The week after we’ll be in Wenatchee, but then we’ll be back on the road, first to an AIM (Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring) training in Prineville and then to a Rangeland Health course in Reno, Nevada. Hotels are really starting to feel like home!