Visting the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

It has been around four months since I started my internship with the US Forest Service, and it has been an amazing experience. Being a Resource Assistant Program intern has exposed me to different opportunities, and experiences. Even though my position is remotely with Grants and Agreements, my supervisor is very encouraging and supportive of me to take up different opportunities to get different experiences outside of grants and agreements. It’s refreshing to have a supportive work environment. Last week, I went to Hood River to do some field work. I helped the Natural Resources staff with HOBO logger checks in the Columbia River gorge. It was such a great experience, and the views were just stunning. Did you know that the Columbia River gorge is a river canyon that is 80 miles long and 4,000 feet deep!

Below is a picture of what a HOBO logger looks like. They are secured inside a PCV pipe and are weighed down by a sheet of metal. The process was quite simple. Once we got to the site, the data was downloaded, and a site check was conducted. It was a fun experience, but it does require a lot of stability, because most of the sites are off trails and are placed in areas the public can’t easily access. So don’t do these site checks if you have two left feet like me. Overall, I’m glad that I was able to do this, until next time!