The Beginning.

Selway River

My second week as a field technician with Idaho Fish and Game has come to a close. So far it has been an inspiring yet humbling experience. We’ve spent the last couple of weeks learning not only about the woodpeckers and gastropods that inhabit the surrounding forests (bats will come later) but also about the challenging terrain that we are going to encounter. After a quick day of orientation and paperwork in Lewiston, Idaho (a day that began with a substantial snowstorm) we drove the 2 ½ hours east to our base of operations at Fenn Ranger Station. Fenn is the headquarters of the Moose Creek Ranger District and is located along the Selway River five miles southeast of Lowell, Idaho. The ranger station itself is quite picturesque.

Fenn Ranger Station

Vehicles all lined up in front of 'Girl's Dorm'

Executive Suite

Private Rooms

However, we are quartered a small distance down the road in the maintenance compound and are staying in what is known as the “Girl’s Dorm”. It’s a bit “rustic”, but livable, with hot water, showers, a full kitchen, and laundry facilities. Currently we are the only ones using the facility and have the place to ourselves. In a couple of weeks the Forest Service trail crews will begin to arrive and we may have additional people staying in the “Girl’s Dorm” with us.

The Crew

Our field crew consists of three people including myself. Daddy Longlegs is my fellow crew member and hails from South Dakota. His nickname stems from his 6’5” frame and his ability to seemingly glide over downed trees and up and down steep hillsides with ease. He always leaves the other two of us in the dust. It probably helps that he is also 25 years old and has been living, playing, and working in Telluride, Colorado for several years. K-Bird is our field supervisor and spends three days a week out at the field site. She is originally from Alaska and is currently finishing her first post-doc position at the University of Idaho. Idaho Fish and Game hired her to not only supervise Daddy Longlegs and myself but also to assist with the formulation of our sampling protocols and to conduct analyses of the resulting data.

White tail deer. The doe in the foreground is 'flagging'.

More to follow...