Sometimes field work just doesn't go as planned...here is a list of summer "bloopers" that I have arranged for you to see.
The first day out in the field we caught site of this fire about 1 mile away; a neighboring farm's haystack spontaneously combusted. Due to high winds the fire spread quickly and we had to evacuate. The fire burned about 30,000 acres that day...needless to say, my research has now taken on a new fire component :) I will be studying how wildfire affects beneficial invertebrate communities. Here are some after photos of my plots: |
Due to the fire, a lot of the dirt roads became very sandy, in some areas about knee-high. Unfortunately, our truck just couldn't handle them and got stuck going downhill. It took us about an hour to dig it out. After this we decided to rent a UTV to drive through the burned areas.
Here we are (Lauren J and I) in the UTV. I have never been dirtier in my life! It was slow driving in the deep sand and the sand was constantly blowing into our eyes and faces; however, the UTV was a lot of fun to drive...until we got a flat tire. Luckily we were close enough to drive to the trailer on the flat--as it would have been near impossible for a car to come drag us out. |
...and then the UTV trailer got a flat tire on I-84.
...and then the truck got a flat tire on I-84. Apparently I just don't have very good luck when it comes to tires. We were able to change the tire but the spare tire was also flat! Luckily we were near a truck repair shop and they were able to help and fill up the spare for us. Note to self: check the air pressure of your spare tire at least a few times a year!
Lastly, sometimes you just can't control what happens in your plots. We have arrived to plots plenty of times with our pitfalls dug up or trampled (by what we expect are coyotes, badgers, and elk) but the best day was when we arrived at our plot and there was a herd of cows grazing in it!
Hopefully you enjoyed our bloopers! We would love to hear about some of your field work mishaps!