Hi,
Originally I thought collecting data on 8 sites with 5 plots each was a rather unattainable goal. However, our team has become so efficient. Now I see not only is it possible, but that we may even have time for even more data collection.
This week we had field work at Maxwell Ranch in Larimer County, a site near Lyons and a site in Rocky Mountain National Park. All the sites have such wonderful views!
We are learning that often running transects isn’t as easy as dropping a tape into grass or exposed soil. Often we are crawling over and under shrubs, downed trees, and lots of other stuff on the forest floor. Hard hats are super handy!
Another highlight of my week was a visit to CSU. Maxwell Ranch is as close to Fort Collins as I’ve ever been. I sat in with my mentor at a Forest Service meeting on campus. There were people from USDA Fire Service and many from the university forest departments. After the meeting, I got to visit the National Forest Service building and meet a few people in FS. Some of the names I remembered from the many papers I’ve been reading. It’s very nice to put a face to the papers!
Back to the field work, on the Maxwell Ranch site, we found this HUGE downed tree. It still surprises me what these tiny beetles can accomplish. I guess like with humans, the beetles understand the importance of TEAMWORK! With a great team, anything is possible! Here’s a photo of my teacher from CCD, Fleur, in front of the huge tree.
On Friday, our site was in RMNP. I learned that fellow intern Luca has been indoors a lot at NOAA and has never been to the park. She was so helpful on the field visit and seemed to enjoy her time in the park. We really appreciated the help! Thanks Luca!
Have a great week!
-Marianne
Im am looking forward to helping you and Fleur in the field while Jenny is away. I miss field work, so this will be a nice break for me – just like it was for Luca!