As I enter the 11th month of my fellowship with HAF and US Fish and Wildlife Service, I have been reflecting on the work I have accomplished. I have continued to do research and write up climate assessments for military installations in the Midwest, Mountain Prairie, and Pacific Southwest regions of the US. I have begun doing species level assessments, which has been an interesting addition to the broader, landscape level research I have previously been doing. I also started sending a few of the profile assessments to the natural resources managers at the military installations to receive their feedback, which has been interesting to hear what they think of the work we’ve been doing.
In addition to this, I have also continued to visit Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to do some field work on and off. The most recent fieldwork I did was assist with a sandhill crane count at sunset last week. The other volunteers and I sat and watched for cranes flying into the refuge for the night for a little over an hour, split up across the refuge to get insight into a variety of locations. In the area I was located in we counted nearly 500 cranes, but some areas have counted much more in previous years! It was really peaceful to watch the sun go down over the refuge, while listening to all the waterbirds settle in for the night.
In the next couple weeks, I will be visiting my first military installation, Fort Carson in Colorado (and Pueblo Chemical Depot). I’m definitely excited to see one of the places we have been researching and writing about all these months, and to better understand the necessity of the climate profiles we are writing. Meeting some of the people who will utilize the profile I wrote for management will also be useful for future edits and connections to ensure the installation is integrating climate change into the management plans in an efficient way.
I'm looking forward to seeing the installation in person, and observing the natural resources we are working to protect. I think it will be a great way to continue to reflect on the work I've done over the course of this fellowship, build connections, and enjoy some time in a new place.
