Hey readers! My name is Carlie, and I’m currently interning with Buffalo Field Campaign. Before I dive into our field update for the week, here’s a little something about me. I grew up in Hawai’i, so the snow that coats the ground out here is a bit of a novel concept for me. I’m a college student double majoring in Animal Science and Anthropology, with the eventual goal to work as a wildlife veterinarian with charismatic megafauna around the world. Lastly, I think surf rock is fun to listen to even when the ocean is over 1,000 miles away.
Currently, I am nearing the end of a gap semester where my only goal has been to get more hands-on experience in my fields of interest. Chasing down experiences has brought me from the thundering rains and hundred-degree weather of Honduras to the snowy, sage-filled fields of West Yellowstone. I came to BFC to gain knowledge about the legal side of helping wildlife and have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of time I’ve been able to spend in the field.
So far in my time here I've seen sights I never could have imagined. A family of four moose galloping through a forest in a blizzard. A porcupine, curled in the upper branches of a leaning pine tree, sleeping in the gentle sunlight. Breathtaking mountains and bald eagles filling endless blue skies. A mother and baby moose grazing in spiky willows next to a snow-lined river. Going on patrol is like stepping into a living, moving postcard. There’s nothing like it.
Back at camp, I stay busy writing thank you cards to you, our generous donors, helping around the main cabin, and learning from people who have worked in the conservation world longer than I have been alive. Interning at BFC has allowed me to see what running a conservation-based non-profit in Northern America is like, and how I could help more with similar projects later in my career. It has also allowed me to solidify which side of conservation I want to work in.
Over the next week, I look forward to continuing to learn and help at BFC. Thanks for reading!
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