Greetings from Hollister, California!

Hey everyone!

I am so excited to have been able to be a part of such a great internship program! I’m doing things at my internship that I would’ve never dreamed I’d get a chance to do! I am working in Hollister, California in San Benito County since May 2009 with the Bureau of Land Management. I’m in the central coast/central valley region of California, which puts me in proximity to San Jose, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco, which is very exciting and interesting! My office mainly manages two large areas: Panoche/Tumey Hills and Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA). When I work in the Panoche/Tumey Hills, I am usually getting the opportunity to survey for fossilized materials, which usually consists of Mosasaur or Hadrosaur bones, petrified wood, and conifer needle and branch fossil impressions. While working in Clear Creek Management Area, I am usually surveying populations of endemic plant species on serpentine soil (such as Layia discoidea). My boss, Ryan O’Dell, is the natural resources specialist (soil/botany) in my office and works closely with serpentine soil restoration and ecology. The main project I have been working on during my internship is creating a paleontological data map (from past and present fossil material surveys) on ArcGIS. It has been a very rewarding experience to be able to work with ArcGIS. Overall, I am really enjoying my internship experience in Hollister, California with the BLM. I am really thankful for such a great program and the opportunity to work in areas I never imagined I’d ever be able to! Thanks!!!

Panoche/Tumey Hills