It seems difficult to remember now, but only a scant four months ago I had no idea what to expect from my time as an intern with the BLM in Richfield, Utah. No anticipations for this diminutive, predominantly Mormon town of approximately 10,000 residents \u2013 nor any for its surrounding natural environment, which I must have flown over dozens of times on my way to or from college, but never gave much thought to. Now that I\u2019m more than halfway through this experience, I feel almost as if I own the place, or at least feel that my share in collecting seeds for restoration and research entitles me to throwing up a defiant fist at the ever-rampant All Terrain Vehicle riders tearing through local meadows of sagebrush and bee plant, and stirring up the pollen of that awful rabbitbrush which has been assaulting my nose, eyes, and throat for several weeks now.<\/p>\n
I could not ask for a more beautiful natural setting in which to be exposed to the absolute horrors of post-college life: paying rent, buying groceries, the laundromat, and OxiClean. That\u2019s part of the reason this internship has been a real godsend; getting away each work day from the apartment, the town, the claustrophobic cubicles that define so many others\u2019 internship experiences \u2013 and getting to work among the splendors of the Intermountain West, with all its endless expanses and pristine air, has been a form of daily therapy. Making some dough while doing it has on occasion felt nothing short of criminal.<\/p>\n
I am blessed to work with a team of other field botanists that includes two other CBG interns and a former CBG intern from last year. Last year\u2019s intern, a 60-year-old woman whom we have lovingly titled Mormon Mama Melinda, is one of the most amazing taxonomy whizzes the world \u2013 or Sevier County, Utah, at the very least \u2013 has ever known. She keeps us more than entertained on our often-treacherously long hauls to collection sites (I reckon we are averaging about 3 hours of driving a day), plus keeps our stomachs fat and happy with home-baked wonders. And, perhaps most fortunately for us new interns, Mormon Mama Melinda is capable of keying out species we encounter in about ten seconds flat.<\/p>\n
I have to admit, I had a reservation or two when I learned that the majority of my internship would be spent collecting seeds. Surely, it is not as glamorous a job as monitoring the mating habits of gopher tortoises (sadly, not an option for CBG interns in 2009), nor does it elicit many jaw-dropping reactions from family and friends back home, who generally can\u2019t come to grips with the importance of such employment. But the benefits of this internship have been nothing short of extraordinary \u2013 and it will be with a very heavy heart that I leave this surrogate home of mine: the incomparable state of Utah.<\/p>\n
-Evan Poirson, BLM Field Office, Richfield, Utah<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It seems difficult to remember now, but only a scant four months ago I had no idea what to expect from my time as an intern with the BLM in Richfield, Utah. No anticipations for this diminutive, predominantly Mormon town … Continue reading