The weeks since Chicago have been so busy and exciting! I was thrilled to get back to Washington–that brief time spent in the the dense, muggy Midwest renewed my appreciation for my new home and was enough to remind me why I am never, ever moving back to that climate! I’m forever grateful that I was placed in Washington–it’s funny how sometimes you don’t even realize a place is wrong for you until you move somewhere else.
Now that the constant stream of traveling and training that defined our spring is over, we’ve been getting down to business with our ESR work and making plans for the rest of the field season. With this planning comes the realization that the task ahead of us is nothing short of monumental. On a map, the many parcels that we need to survey for weeds look small and manageable. But after being out to some of the smallest, and still spending hours and hours combing these areas for noxious weed populations, I admitted to myself that it’s going to be a lot slower going that I’d imagined. I’m not complaining–the work is tough, but enjoyable–but I’m definitely overwhelmed. Managing land, even the relatively small amount of land that the BLM owns in WA, is a HUGE job! There’s just so much area to cover, and so little time. Luckily, the fact that we are only surveying areas that burned recently narrows our focus a bit. Not much though–last summer was one of the worst wildfire years in Washington’s history.
Last week Katherine, Gabe, and I camped out for work for the first time. I wasn’t sure how well I’d handle it, since I REALLY hate going to bed dirty, and trekking through the burns somehow coats even the clothed parts of me with a layer of dirt and ash. I toughed it out though, and it wasn’t as bad as I expected (at least, not once I’d used half our water supply to scrub my legs clean! I’m only exaggerating a little here.) We’re camping again tomorrow night, so this time I’ll be sure to bring my own, personal water supply!
Lilium columbianum. Exciting!
I had been waiting to see Clarkia pulchella for ages, and my patience was finally rewarded!
Since we had both Friday and Monday off this past weekend courtesy of our 4-10 schedule and 4th of July, Katherine and I took advantage of our four days off by heading up to Vancouver and taking a mini-vacation! Highlights of the trip included a hike in the breathtakingly beautiful temperate rain forest, a trip to the aquarium, a brewery tour, dinner at Dark Table (a restaurant where you eat in the pitch black!) and making fun of the way Canadians say “out” and “about”. Though we were sad to leave, the bacon cheeseburgers we had upon our return made me glad to be back in the good ol’ USA.
Vancouver!
Pictures couldn’t fully capture the beauty of the forest
Katherine Schneider, BLM, Wenatchee, WA Field Office