Today is my last day of work as a CLM intern at the Eagle Lake Field Office. \u00a0I will be returning in February as an official BLM employee to do some GIS work for the Range department. I have to thank the CLM internship program for helping me land this job.<\/p>\n
My time as a CLM intern was filled with many great experiences. \u00a0I gained experience in several fields, such as botany, hydrology, range management, seed collecting, and GIS. \u00a0I learned what is like to work for a federal agency. \u00a0Along the way I made several great friends and saw some amazing sights.<\/p>\n
One of my favorite experiences was when I got the opportunity to catch sage grouse with the USGS. \u00a0Protecting sage grouse has become a priority for the BLM, so it was nice to get the chance to directly help by attaching radio collars to sage grouse in order to monitor the populations.<\/p>\n
Another great project I worked on involved searching the field office for unknown water sources. \u00a0Water is a valuable commodity here in the high desert, so it is important to know where it is. \u00a0I was able to explore the far reaches of the field office searching for springs. \u00a0I was looking in areas where aerial imagery showed dense, green vegetation. \u00a0Many of these areas did not have above ground water, but it was always exciting when I found one that did.<\/p>\n
A rewarding project I worked on was to build a trail to a favorite climbing spot of mine. \u00a0Pigeon cliffs is located right outside of Susanville on BLM land, and is little-known climbing wall. \u00a0I climbed there many times this year, but every time it was a hassle to get to the spot because the trail was in bad shape. \u00a0I spent a day improving the trail, and it felt good to give back to a place that meant a lot to me. \u00a0I hope that with the improved trail more people will get to enjoy climbing at Pigeon Cliffs.<\/p>\n
I am glad that I am returning to the Eagle Lake Field Office. \u00a0It is a great place to work. \u00a0In the meantime, I will be heading back east to visit friends and family. \u00a0I am really excited to see everyone, as I haven’t been home in eight months.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Thanks again CLM! It has been great!<\/p>\n
-Sam<\/p>\n
BLM ELFO<\/p>\n
Susanville, CA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today is my last day of work as a CLM intern at the Eagle Lake Field Office. \u00a0I will be returning in February as an official BLM employee to do some GIS work for the Range department. I have to … Continue reading