Another introduction

Hello!

My name is Clint Pogue and I am continuing my exciting journey through life by joining the CMC Herbarium this fall along with pursuing my Master’s degree at CMU. I grew up in the great state of Missouri. The cypress swamps, glades, fens, sand prairies, and Ozark Mountains make Missouri a great state for nature lovers. I attended college at Truman State University (Go Bulldogs!?) in Kirksville, MO, where I met my partner. After graduation in 2011 we moved to Pullman, WA so she could pursue a Master’s degree in English. I commuted to Lewiston, ID to work for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. I fell in love with Idaho. I had never felt as fulfilled standing on a ridge in mid-July at sunset overlooking the deep blue Salmon River thousands of feet below (Figure 1). Surrounded by hedgehog cacti (Figure 2), evening air, and the vast Hell’s Canyon landscape, I was at peace.

Figure 1. Myself overlooking the Salmon River

Figure 2. Pediocactus simpsonii

Let’s fast forward one year to July 2013 when I was in a 1991 Ford F-250 with a full bed pulling a cargo trailer that loaded to the gills during rush hour in Minneapolis. About 80% of everything my partner and I owned was in the pickup bed or the trailer and I was terrified to lose it. I thought back to that ridge and wondered why I was headed East at all. I loved Idaho and the Department of Fish and Game, but I needed to further my education before I could land a permanent job.

So, we packed up all our belongings and headed to The Great Lake State! Why Michigan? Well, I had been searching for some time for a program that would allow me to have a botanical focus on ecology, and the description for the program at CMU was perfect. Now I’m here! I love Mount Pleasant and Michigan has so many things to offer that I never knew about (Muskegs! Dunes! Prairie fens!). It really is an amazing place. I hope to get up to the U.P. soon, but that might have to wait until spring now.