I am very lucky to have the job that I do because it has opened the door to many opportunities. I have been with the Wyoming Game and Fish for three years now, and I have loved every minute. My boss has been amazing and does his best to get us out of the check station as much as possible. During my time here I have been able to ride along with a game warden, help with Walleye Boarding at Grey Rocks Reservoir, and take samples from Diamond Lake.
My time at the University also allowed me to expand my field experience portfolio. Once I started in person classes, I was able to try my hand at multiple things. I had field work experience in multiple classes where we did things like sampled river ecosystems, marked bumble bees, sampled vegetation in mountainous and prairie areas, and many more things. One of my most favorite sampling experiences was when we were able to volunteer at a WGFD hunter checkstation and sample cervids for CWD by removing their lymph nodes.
One of the most memorable experiences in college would have been getting to help with both the Raccoon and Chipmunk projects. For the raccoon project, I was able to go out at 4 am and check traps for any raccoons. Our trap had caught a raccoon so we then took it back for processing at Red Buttes where we got to watch the process of checking all the vitals, microchipping, and getting all characterizable features put into a system. During my time helping with chipmunk trapping, I was able to set up traps with bait for the evening crew to do the same process as with the raccoons.
Another really valuable skill I developed during my time in college would be my ability to use R-studio. Before I started at the University I never knew that I would need to use code in my career, now I understand how valuable it is to know how to use and navigate R-studio.