Miriam Johnston
\nBuffalo, Wyoming
\nBLM<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always lived in the East, so deciduous forests, Eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis<\/em>), Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis<\/em>), and the rolling Appalachians are intimately familiar and feel definitively like home. When I first arrived here in Buffalo, Wyoming, I had never seen sagebrush (Artemisia<\/em> spp.). The pronghorns (Antilocapra americana<\/em>) looked like they belonged on a photo safari, and there were cacti (Opuntia <\/em>spp.) growing out of the actual ground instead of in pots (?!). The word \u201crange\u201d was only a synonym for geographical distribution or of the \u201cOhhhhhh, home on the\u201d variety, and I quickly discovered that snow-capped peaks DO exist beyond pictures.<\/p>\n I\u2019m currently in the middle of my second week here at the Buffalo BLM, and though I\u2019m still often struck by my comparatively unfamiliar surroundings, I don\u2019t feel so out of context anymore. Thanks to my thorough and friendly training, I recognize the vast majority of the flora and fauna I see out on the range, and I\u2019m starting to feel more at home here. Beyond <\/em>the \u201cLook! It\u2019s a\u2026 thing\u201d stage. Whew. It\u2019s been quite an adventure, and I\u2019ve gotten to see a lot of the northeastern Wyoming countryside, which is stunning (pictures later\u2026). Definitely a good introduction.<\/p>\n Now that I\u2019ve settled in a bit and taken a few leaps forward re. natural history (with, of course, a few leaps left to go), I\u2019m really looking forward to expanding my horizons. My job description is quite varied \u2013 from rangeland monitoring to sage-grouse projects \u2013 and my supervisor is helping us to experience as much as we can. Today, we\u2019re going to specific range sites to do photo monitoring. Tomorrow, we\u2019re leaving the office at 4 a.m. (optional, but worth it!) to tag along on a riparian bird survey. This active office also houses hydrology, fire, and natural resource specialists, as well as petroleum engineering technicians. There is SO much to learn here; I\u2019m really going to have to make these next five months count. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Miriam Johnston Buffalo, Wyoming BLM I\u2019ve always lived in the East, so deciduous forests, Eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), and the rolling Appalachians are intimately familiar and feel definitively like home. When I first arrived here … Continue reading