At the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico State Office, I have been learning a great deal about what it takes to manage our public lands from the perspective of a Cultural Resources Specialist. This has been a particular interest of mine for some time now after taking a course on cultural heritage management in my second year of graduate school. It was not until I took that course that I began to consider alternatives to using my pending doctoral degree. I realized I did not want to be a professor, but I was and am still very passionate about using archaeology to change the world, to make a difference, to mentor, to provide guidance, and to protect cultural resources in this country. In that class I got a little taste of the Section 106 process, but with this internship I am now more familiar with that legislation.

For the past four weeks I have been tasked with revising the protocol between the New Mexico BLM and the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) which outlines how BLM and SHPO will interact and cooperate under the national programmatic agreement to which it is tiered off of. The national programmatic agreement between the BLM, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and the National Conference of SHPOs (NCSHPO) details the manner in which the BLM will meet its responsibilities under Sections 106, 110(f), and 111(a) of the National Historic Preservation Act. Essentially, the protocol streamlines and simplifies procedural requirements and emphasizes the common goal of planning for and managing historic properties under the BLM’s jurisdiction and control. It is a document designed to give the BLM independence and to streamline the consultation process for most BLM undertakings but also includes provisions to follow in situations where the regulations, 36 CFR Part 800, or other agreement documents must be followed in lieu of the protocol.

One of the very beneficial aspects of the New Mexico BLM-SHPO protocol is Appendix C which lists specific undertakings that have been identified by both parties for which the BLM is not required to consult with SHPO because these are projects or activities that do not have the potential to cause effects to historic properties. One of the undertakings for which BLM does not have to consult with SHPO are on the renewal of grazing permits. Earlier in the internship, one of my supervisors gave us a set of scenarios in which we were to use our knowledge of the protocol and regulations in order to think through how we would carry out our 106 compliance. These were all real-world scenarios that a field office archaeologist has to navigate. One of the scenarios was about the renewal of a grazing permit which I have copied and pasted for you below:

Q: The Rangeland Management Specialist asks you to review an Environmental Assessment (EA) document for a grazing permit renewal. How do you go about documenting your Section 106 compliance and do you consult with SHPO? What section(s) or appendix of the Protocol did you review to reach this determination?

A: For the renewal of a  grazing permit you do not have to consult with the SHPO but you do need to document in the case file why any potential increase in numbers or types of livestock or changed seasons of use will not adversely affect historic properties stated in appendix C section IV of the protocol.

Obviously, I was not too sure what this would actually look like in real life. How would I document that no adverse effect would take place? What kind of evidence would that require? I had so many questions. Fortunately, on July 29, another DHA intern and I were given the opportunity to venture out into the field with the archaeologist from the Taos Field Office. Our task for that day was to assist him with grazing permit renewal surveys. He pre-selected a few locations and we went to work. The first location was set among extinct volcanos on a playa where Apache teepee rings made from basalt had been previously recorded. The site was amazing and the landscape beautiful. I admittedly was very envious of the lives these cows lived. The field office archaeologist had us walk in some semblance of a survey line looking for any disturbance of the teepee rings by the cows or ranchers who were leasing the allotment. This involved looking for evidence of trampling, driving “two-tracks” through parts of the site, looking for artifacts in areas where the cows congregated and walked, and just any general signs of disturbance. While we decided that the cows had been, for the most part, staying away from the site, we did find a looters pile of basalt flakes and expedient tools stacked on a flat rock. The field office archaeologist made sure to document this by taking a photo and writing down a few notes.

We went on to check out a few more known sites within the boundaries of grazing allotments to check for any sign of adverse effects. Thankfully all we found were more basalt debitage, a horned lizard, some antelope drama, a lone coyote, and a big horned sheep. All in all it was an educational, adventurous, and exciting day in the field that really put everything I had been studying and learning in context and made me feel more confident that this is a job I could do if I were ever offered a position as an archaeologist at a BLM field office in New Mexico. The experience really exhibited to me the role that I could potentially play in site stewardship and solidified for me the hopes I have of using my education and expertise as a southwestern archaeologist to make a difference, on-the-ground, quite literally.

My experience working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern States Office in Washington D.C. has challenged me in many ways. I am interning for the Division of Natural Resources where I am working on a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reference guide. This requires me to thoroughly review and extract regulations that are relevant to the NEPA process from laws relevant to the work of the BLM. Some examples of laws that I have since familiarized myself with are: Minerals Leasing Act (MLA), Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Reviewing laws is a skill that even those at the top of their game can always improve. This involves interpreting the law and comparing my interpretation, in instances where the language may be unclear, to court cases. The objective of this work is to lay a strong foundation to be able to work as a NEPA planner in the future. It is absolutely advantageous to have a strong understanding of the laws relevant to the actions of the BLM when developing the NEPA.

In addition, I have developed a story map for Pelican Island--the nation’s first wildlife refuge. This fun side project has allowed me to not only learn about the rich history of our nation’s first wildlife refuge, but has also allowed me to learn ArcGIS. ArcGIS is a useful skill to learn, and in fact, will help me when I take my required Environmental Applications of GIS course at Hopkins next spring. In order to complete this project, I had to organize a meeting with several different people here in the Eastern States office. This project requires collaboration with both the GIS and External Affairs team. I had the chance to lead this coordination meeting, and my boss, Rachelle, taught me how to get what I needed from the attendees. I learned that meetings, if not structured probably may not be an effective use of time. In order to ensure that the meeting was effective, I developed an agenda of the questions that I needed to get answered, and from there, I assigned tasks to the group. This mini project has not only been useful in developing my project coordination skills, but has also been quite fun!

In my experience, I do not get as much hands on experience working with my boss. She had ACL surgery right before the start of my internship and has been working from home since. Her first day back in the office was this past Wednesday, and she will be in the office once a week from here on out. If I could change anything about this experience, I would like to be able to work side by side with a NEPA planner that is more available—though, this was not an expected barrier that anyone saw coming! I am making the most of this experience and am excited to see where things lead from here. HAF is such a great organization and my program manager, Marlene, has been incredibly helpful throughout this entire process. It is great knowing that I have someone who will hear me out and be there for me as a resource.

My first day on site at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Amarillo Field Office I got the tour of all the major viewing points and areas accessible by truck.

My internship as a Natural Resource Specialist with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Carlsbad, New Mexico has given me the opportunity to gain federal experience and see cool places most people don’t have access to.

Greetings, from Durango, Colorado!

My experience working for the U.S. Forest Service has consisted of long hikes and beautiful sceneries. The idea of moving to Colorado from coastal California for a season as a Wilderness Ranger for the Blanco District in White River National Forest filled me with excitement while it also intimidated me. I arrived at a bunk house 30 miles past the nearest town, where I was greeted by the sound of the White River, lodgepole pines and aspen trees. No cell phone service or WiFi.

I have joined this summer’s trail crew, also known as my housemates and friends, on trail work and maintenance. When I explain this work to my friends and family, they instantly comment on how I went from being a “tree hugger” to a “tree cutter” in just a matter of weeks. After attending crosscut saw training at the beginning of the season, we were introduced to these special tools, known as crosscut saws, which is one of the main tools we carry with us during our long day and backpacking trips. The weather has been a big change for me, a lot of rain and hail welcomed us at the beginning of the season, which made working conditions extremely difficult.

As the weather is becoming warmer and snow has uncovered a lot of trails, there has been more visitors, mosquitoes being most of them. With this change, I have also been in the process of transitioning to my Wilderness Ranger role, by hiking and patrolling trails, completing campsite inventories, and interacting with outfitters and visitors.

On another note, I was honored to table and collaborate with The Wilderness Society and Defiende Nuestra Tierra on the Latino Conservation Week Fiesta Comunitaria in Rifle. We had fun games, music, tacos, and overall such a great time at the event. I particularly enjoyed opening a space to talk to local community members in Spanish and informing them about our public lands. I handed out wilderness regulations handouts that I had translated from English to Spanish, and individually invited them to come out and visit these beautiful sites that most people did not even know existed, or were accessible. As I continue to learn more each day, I hope to be able to share that information in one way or another and be that resource to our Latino community.

Only two months in and so much has happened already!

I’ve been with the Forest Service at Smokey Bear Ranger District for almost over a month now and it has been a great and changing experience so far.

I arrived in Salida, Colorado on June 2nd after two days of driving from Pico Rivera, California, a suburb just ten miles east of Downtown Los Angeles.

Before the start of another school year, I wanted to take the time to reflect on my internship experience this summer.