Sorry that I have not been able to write a blog in a while. These past two weeks, I have been away from my computer doing training in Utah. So here we go!
The first week really just consisted of some random trainings along with my coworker and I purchasing gear that we still needed and had not received yet before we headed to Utah.
Monday was the first day that I meet Keenan in person. He is originally from the Big Island of Hawaii and went to college in Fort Collins, CO doing hydrology classes. Alex, our BLM adviser who is the fish biologist for the High Desert region, came over from Kemmerer with Keenan so we could all attend our Map Reading Course. Nothing too exciting really, just remember to pack a GPS with extra batteries and remember how to read a topographic map. Afterwards, we went to Sportman's Warehouse to get waders, wading boots, and camping supplies. I picked out the Women's Simms G3 Guide Stockingfoot waders with the Women's Vaportread Boot which are expensive and high quality. Side note: the business is in Bozeman, MT.
Tuesday, I drove over to the Kemmerer Field Office because that is were I am going to be stationed out of for this season. I was introduced to all of the staff there and received my access badge that allows be to get into the building and eventually onto the computers. Which lead me to finishing some trainings on a computer in order for me to have access to the BLM ones. That afternoon, Keenan and I drove up past Viva Naughton so he could see some of the countryside. It is incredible how much water is moving downstream. All of the rivers all flowing onto the floodplain so I have no idea when we will be able to start sampling after training.
That Wednesday, I was also back in Kemmerer were we had a training on how to use ArcGIS. It is a program used to place layers on top of each other to form maps. So in our case we can have the BLM lands with all of the roads placed on top of that one. Then we can place all of the rivers and streams on. Alex, Keenan, Jim (Botanist for BLM), and I sat down to start eliminating and replacing our sample sites using ArcGIS. So far we have about 45 and five of them where 250 meters away from a stream. Those ones were replaced with other sites that could be used. Once that was done, I went and completed my online interactive defensive driver training course so that I could drive our work truck. Once I got home, Mike (boyfriends computer name) and I headed over to our new home that we are renting to pick up the keys! I am so happy that our landlord is going to let up move in like three weeks early so my goal is to move all of my stuff and a lot of other random things in. I am hoping that this will relieve Mike from stress. That night I loaded my vehicle up with as much things as possible to take over in the morning.
After moving the stuff into the house Thursday morning, I drove over to the Rock Springs FO so we could attend our defensive driving training. Kath (friend from Rawlins Aquatic AIM crew) was there so I am super happy to spend time with her and Karp in our up coming trainings next week. The driving training was really easy. All we did was follow a booklet and watch a movie. After lunch, we had a training on hazardous weather. A guy from the Riverton Weather office presented to us. I learned that golf ball sized hail will lead to a tornado from within the next 1.5 mintues! Pretty incredible stuff and a lighting strike heats the air to 50,000 degrees F! In Wyoming there has only been EF0 and EF1 type tornados. Before Keenan headed back to Kemmerer, we bought the last of our camping gear. That night while Mike was out fishing with his bosses, I moved over two more loads and was able to start putting things where I wanted them to be.
Friday, I was back in the KFO where we had a conference call with the guy who hired us both. He just went over what the Great Basin Institute (GBI) was all about and what gear we still needed. Afterwards, we packed up all of our gear into the truck for the next two weeks and I was able to get access to the computers but my personal information was not there yet. Once I got home, Mike and I went to Bittercreek Brewery to have drinks and dinner. We ended up talking to a guy who goes to the Beartooth Rally every year so maybe he convinced my boyfriend to go again. But it was a very nice evening to wind down on before my crazy packing/moving weekend.
The first week really just consisted of some random trainings along with my coworker and I purchasing gear that we still needed and had not received yet before we headed to Utah.
Monday was the first day that I meet Keenan in person. He is originally from the Big Island of Hawaii and went to college in Fort Collins, CO doing hydrology classes. Alex, our BLM adviser who is the fish biologist for the High Desert region, came over from Kemmerer with Keenan so we could all attend our Map Reading Course. Nothing too exciting really, just remember to pack a GPS with extra batteries and remember how to read a topographic map. Afterwards, we went to Sportman's Warehouse to get waders, wading boots, and camping supplies. I picked out the Women's Simms G3 Guide Stockingfoot waders with the Women's Vaportread Boot which are expensive and high quality. Side note: the business is in Bozeman, MT.
That Wednesday, I was also back in Kemmerer were we had a training on how to use ArcGIS. It is a program used to place layers on top of each other to form maps. So in our case we can have the BLM lands with all of the roads placed on top of that one. Then we can place all of the rivers and streams on. Alex, Keenan, Jim (Botanist for BLM), and I sat down to start eliminating and replacing our sample sites using ArcGIS. So far we have about 45 and five of them where 250 meters away from a stream. Those ones were replaced with other sites that could be used. Once that was done, I went and completed my online interactive defensive driver training course so that I could drive our work truck. Once I got home, Mike (boyfriends computer name) and I headed over to our new home that we are renting to pick up the keys! I am so happy that our landlord is going to let up move in like three weeks early so my goal is to move all of my stuff and a lot of other random things in. I am hoping that this will relieve Mike from stress. That night I loaded my vehicle up with as much things as possible to take over in the morning.
Friday, I was back in the KFO where we had a conference call with the guy who hired us both. He just went over what the Great Basin Institute (GBI) was all about and what gear we still needed. Afterwards, we packed up all of our gear into the truck for the next two weeks and I was able to get access to the computers but my personal information was not there yet. Once I got home, Mike and I went to Bittercreek Brewery to have drinks and dinner. We ended up talking to a guy who goes to the Beartooth Rally every year so maybe he convinced my boyfriend to go again. But it was a very nice evening to wind down on before my crazy packing/moving weekend.
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