Beautiful Buffalo, Wyoming, where the elevation is greater than the population.
Buffalo, Wy
While Montana may have the title of “Big Sky Country,” my time spent here so far has caused me to believe that Wyoming is certainly giving them a run for their money. Whether it has been from the early morning sunrises while out helping with bird watching in the ocean of sagebrush, the mid afternoon hikes noticing the clouds roll in, or escaping to the mountains and watching the immeasurable amount of stars glide across the night, Wyoming too has some big skies.
Wyoming Sunrise
Weston Hills
Wyoming Nightlights
So far – trainings aside – I have been learning about the Buffalo Field Office’s style of management and ways in which it collaborates with the local region in regards to the resources it is charged with. Through the course of this program I will be spending my time aiding with recreation planning and management, as well as providing help when possible to the wildlife portion of the resources department. This has included reading up on and visiting specific sections and trails, as well as learning the routes commonly used to access these areas.
Additionally, I am able to return to using a long lost friend, which comes in the form of ArcGIS. While it has been awhile since I have been afforded the opportunity to use this formidable software, it is a chance that I hope to make the best of.
Here are a few of the specific things I have been up:
- Building out a list of attributes and other data points to gather while out in the field, which will later be pulled into ArcGIS, to work within the scope and guidelines of a Travel and Transportation Management Plan.
- Creating and refining lesson plans to aid in the outreach and education of summer camps/classes.
- Inventorying wildlife habitat, specifically: Sagebrush obligate bird species.
So far the past couple weeks have been a very welcomed change of pace from my previous work experiences. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this internship has in store.
D. Erf
BFO BLM