Olivia Brister '21

Intern with the Bureau of Land Management, Summer 2020

This summer, I worked for the Bureau of Land Management in Vernal, Utah. I was a GIS Analyst Intern! I worked mostly with animal migration corridor mapping, and did some field work as well. For the field work, I got to go out into the field with different "departments" in BLM to help them map things. I helped a botanist map a newly discovered plant species (Frasera Gentianaceae, for anyone interested), mapped some new trails on BLM land, and helped map some archaeological findings for the Archaeologists. On the weekends, I was fortunate enough to be able to safely explore a lot of public lands in the Western US, including Great Basin National Park, the Grand Tetons, and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, among others! I learned a lot about GIS and managing public lands overall. I was able to network within the Bureau of Land Management to figure out what kind of job I'd like to have in the future, and what jobs I'd like to avoid. I also was able to explore other areas of the country I might want to live and work in the future. I learned a ton, and had a great time while doing it!