Well, Alyssa and I are T-minus 3 weeks away from being completely finished with this internship and we both can’t believe it.

Our mentor has given us a couple of opportunities that I am so grateful for over the past month. We were able to do a media training, during which we had to do a pretend interview while being filmed, yikes. That gave us a lot of insight into how to speak to the media and the general public about research and projects. We got involved in a project with the forester in our office and participated in a data collection. He had planted around 500 white pine trees a few weeks back and Alyssa and I checked their viability and learned how to identify trees with symptoms of blister rust. Earlier this week, we drove to Yerington, NV to attend a PFC assessment training for streams and riparian areas. There was so much to learn that it was a bit overwhelming but it was a great couple of days getting new exposure to different fields of science!

Our main focus for our last couple of weeks is to scout and make opportunistic collections. We have collected Asclepias speciosa and Cleome serrulata and have spent a lot of time traveling around Nevada looking for new populations.

The not-so-great part about collection Cleome is the pungent smell of green peppers

Typically, we collect upland plants that we have grown pretty familiar with but milkweed grows in riparian areas. We spent a decent amount of time trying to ID a lot of look-alike willows and wildflowers but had some fun doing it!

Alyssa carrying around our vouchers and a few plants to ID in the office!

Wrapping up our season means a lot of organization, planning, office tasks and a lot of reflecting. These past four months have been such an experience and can you really beat a west coast sunset???? I know I’ll miss that beautiful sky!