Reflections of a French Exchange Student
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Marie Morgane-Rouyer, now a Master’s student in Applied Ecology at the Université de Poitiers, spent the academic year 2016-17 at Oregon State University, where she impressed everyone with her intelligence, warm manner, and intense curiosity. At OSU she made the Honor Roll and joined the OSU Bird Nerds, a student group focused on the study of birds. She was part of a group of Bird Nerds who visited Hart Mountain in March 2017 to assist in the annual Greater Sage-grouse lek count. Subsequently, she wrote about her experience and her impressions of Hart Mountain. |
In March 2017, I had the great opportunity of spending a few days in Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. As a French exchange student in Oregon State University, this was for me an incredible opportunity to discover both the wild spaces of Oregon as well as the people working there.
photo by Marie Morgane-Rouyer
This trip occurred during Spring Break, halfway through a year that I still considerable memorable. At 20 years old, I was doing the last of my three years of Undergraduate studies, majoring in Biology/Ecology with the objective to later do a master’s degree followed by a PhD in marine conservation ecology and management. For this last year, I had the incredible opportunity of being part of an exchange program that would take me from the medium size city of Poitiers, France, to the even smaller (but lovely) Corvallis, Oregon. Coming from the University of Poitiers in the middle of western France, I was very excited to discover how much one could get involved with different types of clubs and activities in the US. Wanting to experience and learn in different ways as much as I could during my one year abroad, I happily registered for the trip organized by the Bird Nerds and Fisheries and Wildlife Club to survey Greater Sage-Grouse in Hart Mountain. I had never been to Southeastern Oregon before, and I was amazed by what I discovered there.
photo by Marie Morgane-Rouyer
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In Hart Mountain, I found a place where time seemed to have stopped. Peacefulness, wilderness, an untouched place, giving my mind and eyes the opportunity to rest and enjoy an undisturbed (or restored to be more precise) Nature. At first, what surprised me most were the colors. It was as though a filter had been applied to the landscapes, making them look less bright, less contrastive. A place where the grey of the sky was melding with the white of the snow, the pale green of the sagebrush and the pale yellow of dry grasses.
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We were more than welcomed at the refuge and I learnt so much spending a few days there. Being able to survey Greater Sage-Grouse was a chance I am very thankful for. Seeing them in their natural habitat, displaying their “dances” on their leks is something that will stay with me. Especially because we had to hike in the dark (and when it’s dark over there, it’s pitch black) to be there at the right place at the right time. And this enabled us to watch sunrise every morning. These sunrises from pitch black to bright orange were amazingly beautiful, particularly because it was us, and just us, surrounded by mountains and wide spaces. Sage-Grouse were not the only wildlife we could observe. Several birds, coyotes, mule deer and pronghorn were also giving us the great pleasure of being observed in their natural habitat. They seemed small and discrete in these wide spaces, but they were bringing the spark of life that would give this place it’s heart.
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It’s no wonder that humans from earlier times settled there and made Hart Mountain their home. I was amazed by the petroglyphs I discovered there, especially because so little is known about them. It seemed that they were from another world, completely different from all the petroglyphs I ever saw in Europe. The representations were drawn from the direct imagination of the artist. There was no model, just an abstraction. It was something precious to be aware that I was standing where someone was carving rocks when the world was completely different from what we know today.
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Petroglyph Lake, photo by Marie Morgane-Rouyer
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Marie at Hart Mountain, photo by Amy Hilger
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I am very happy I had the chance to visit Hart Mountain. Although there is still plenty for me to see and hike over there, I am very thankful to all the people that made this trip a reality. In Hart Mountain, I found a beautiful and secluded place to enjoy a different kind of Nature that left peaceful memories in my mind. I am very thankful to all the people that made this trip a reality. If you like Nature, wildlife and a bit of solitude, Hart Mountain is waiting for you…
Marie-Morgane Rouyer Poitiers, France |