Since I\u2019ve last posted, not too much has been going on around the office.\u00a0 We\u2019re entering this time of year where the field work starts to slow down and the office work starts to pick up.\u00a0 One interesting thing that we have started to do is production surveys.\u00a0 This is only done in the fall because these surveys measure how much has grown in the growing season.\u00a0 Besides that, it\u2019s been pretty slow! So I thought I would use this post to summarize some things I\u2019ve learned so far.<\/p>\n
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Not only have I learned a ton about scientific monitoring, working at the BLM and the ecosystems in the field office, but there have been some other lessons that have come my way.\u00a0 One thing in particular is risk management in the field.\u00a0 In our field office, we can drive in one direction and get into the mountains of New Mexico, and we can drive another direction and be in sand dunes of the desert.\u00a0 With all these varied landscapes, also comes a necessary thorough understanding.\u00a0 In the mountains, we can encounter crazy weather changes in a matter of minutes.\u00a0 In the sand dunes, we can get the truck stuck (and I mean STUCK) if you\u2019re not careful.\u00a0 Also not forgetting about bringing enough water, food, having a means of communicating, and perhaps even a emergency kit.\u00a0 And if you don\u2019t have these things, it\u2019s important to keep your emotions in check and deal with the situation the proper way.\u00a0 For example, a few weeks ago, after a full day of cruising through the sand dunes on the ATV – it decides to overheat.\u00a0 And of course, we had no coolant.\u00a0 Icing on the cake, it was after 5 pm and nobody was back in the office to help us out.\u00a0 We were forced to wait over an hour just for it to cool down.\u00a0 After a few failed attempts, we were able to get back to the truck and get back to the office.\u00a0 It was a stressful few minutes when it first happened, but after we relaxed and figured out a game plan, we were good to go.<\/p>\n
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So risk management sounds like a boring topic, but it\u2019s quite interesting.\u00a0 I think once you have a good handle on your surroundings and your equipment, you can conquer the world!<\/p>\n
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-Jaci<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Since I\u2019ve last posted, not too much has been going on around the office.\u00a0 We\u2019re entering this time of year where the field work starts to slow down and the office work starts to pick up.\u00a0 One interesting thing that … Continue reading