Nebraskaland

August-September 2019 • Nebraskaland 49 year-old rhino fossils at Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park and the next day toured the remains of a 1,000-year-old Indian village in Mitchell, South Dakota, but our guest was most excited about experiencing a traditional Independence Day celebration. Grace, my wife, and I aimed to please. The afternoon of the Fourth we played Frisbee golf on a make-shift, around-the- farmyard course and later shot targets with .22-caliber rifl es. Her fi rst time ever shooting, with cool Norwegian composure, Aurora easily out-shot me at 30 yards over open sights. That evening we barbecued, had cherry pie a la mode for dessert, and then interrupted the peaceful darkness with the fl ash of sky rockets, the burst of Blackcats and the lazy twirl of sparklers. "I wish we did this in Norway," Aurora mused afterward. Back to Work After the weekend, we drove to Indian Cave State Park in southeastern Nebraska to meet with local land managers to discuss oak woodland management. Here, Aurora saw fi rst-hand how herbicides and prescribed fi re were used to battle invasive plants and maintain the rich woodland fl ora. She also saw, what was for her, more new and interesting wildfl owers, mushrooms, birds and insects, and enjoyed the world's best homemade glazed doughnuts in the café in the little burg of Nemaha. Her last job-shadowing event was a trip to the central Niobrara River Valley where I collected fi eld data for a vegetation mapping project. This trip would test Aurora's toughness as we would spend several days bouncing over sand dunes in a utility vehicle and hiking steep, bluff woodlands. As I guessed, the athletic Aurora held up well, though she was annoyed by "all the ticks and mosquitoes," suggesting they "had a fondness for Norwegian blood." One evening, while staying on the Niobrara Valley Preserve, as an ominous sky approached from the west I feared Aurora might experience her fi rst tornado. No cyclone developed, but the storm delivered a show of lightning, thunder and wind- driven hail that banged against our cabin. "It was so exciting," said Aurora. "I had never seen such a storm. The hail was gigantic." A Path Forward For Aurora, last summer's greatest challenge was learning all the botanical terms in English, her second language since moving to Norway, and dealing with her allergy – of all things – to corn pollen. Her favorite places were the Niobrara River Valley and Indian Cave State Park. "They were beautiful," she said. Aurora spent this past school year at the University Pablo de Olavide in Seville, Spain, taking Spanish courses. She has decided to continue her education this fall in her hometown at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences majoring in ecology and nature management. "Before the job shadow I was pretty sure I wanted to be a biologist of some type, but now I am convinced," said Aurora. "I can't see myself doing anything else." N ugh all s," a an e a n d Aurora cools off below a waterfall on the Niobrara River. PHOTOS BY GERRY STEINAUER Her fi rst time shooting, Aurora easily out-shot the author.

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