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Hello from Roswell, NM! This is my first post to the blog, and I feel like I have a lot to cover!<\/p>\n
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This is now my 4th<\/sup> week on the job, and just about a month since I\u2019ve been out here in New Mexico.\u00a0 I am originally from the Pittsburgh area, so moving to the desert has been quite the adjustment.\u00a0 Before I came here, I personally thought I had a pretty good understanding of botany.\u00a0 As I was packing up my things for the move, I noticed all of my botany field guides didn\u2019t apply for this area! And now I\u2019m out here, I completely understand.\u00a0 But nonetheless, I have been quickly learning all about plants that can survive (and thrive!) out here in this hot, dry place!<\/p>\n I am thoroughly enjoying my time out here working for the BLM \u2013 I feel like a real scientist! Some of the projects\/methods I\u2019ve been introduced to are:<\/p>\n -Mesquite monitoring.\u00a0 We went out to a study site that has been previously sprayed to control mesquite, which is a native plant (with some nasty thorns) that has been out-competing other important plants.\u00a0 At the study sites, we did a qualitative assessment of the growth by looking to see what stage of growth the mesquite was in.\u00a0 As one of the range scientists put it, we don\u2019t want the mesquite to be gone completely, but it would be great if 70% of it was gone.<\/p>\n -Rangeland Health Assessment. Or more commonly, RHA\u2019s.\u00a0 These are also qualitative and take some getting used to, mostly because you rate the land based on what it is supposed to look like, and I don\u2019t have much to compare it to!<\/p>\n -Traditional monitoring. This includes some different things (that I\u2019m still trying to wrap my head around) like a one-line and production.\u00a0 These are both quantitative, and provide some real data that can be analyzed later.<\/p>\n -Compliance checks. Although these are a little tedious, they are equally important.\u00a0 Occasionally we will drive around the rancher\u2019s property to basically check and double check that everything is running smoothly.\u00a0 This includes counting cows (sometimes the most exciting part) and generally having a look around the property.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As I said earlier, I am just starting out at the BLM, and still trying to wrap my head around everything.\u00a0 My apologies to whoever reading this already knows all about the daily life of a range scientist, but it actually helps me to organize all of it like that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Besides all this monitoring stuff, the Workshop a few weeks ago was an awesome time! Not only did I learn\u00a0 A LOT about working for the federal government and field work in general, but I have a new sense of pride for my job.\u00a0 Every piece of data counts and is extremely important to get the most accurate measurements.<\/p>\n To summarize things thus far: the BLM \u201cspeaks for the trees\u201d and I\u00a0 need to learn my grasses! But as any botanist knows… grasses are hard. I\u2019ve included some pictures of pretty scenery, cows, and aliens. -Jaci\n\t\t