Home in the mountains

22 May Home in the mountains

Hello! My name is Victoria Ibarra and I am a graduate student in the Energy and Earth Resources program at the University of Texas at Austin. I live in Austin, Texas and grew up in the Texas Hill Country. This summer I am interning as a biology technician with the Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network. I will be working in Yellowstone National Park and its surrounding areas.

First time visiting Grand Teton National Park in 2017

Last summer I had the privilege to bike from Austin, TX to Anchorage, AK with the Texas 4000 for Cancer student organization. Along the way, we biked through Teton and Yellowstone National Park. Of all the parks and places I visited that summer, the landscape in the Greater Yellowstone Network left the greatest impression on me. Returning to the park this summer as an intern for Mosaics in Science and the National Park Service is a dream come true.

Sunrise view of the Grand Tetons on my way up to Bozeman

This past weekend I drove up to Bozeman, Montana where I will be staying for the first few weeks of my internship. Retracing the route I took last summer, the drive to Bozeman left me thrilled to start my internship. I cannot wait to hike among the lodgepole pine and Douglas fir, to hear the howl of the wolves, and to watch the wild bison roam. I have only been in Montana for a day, but I already know this will be an unforgettable experience and a place I will forever call home.