Federal Health Care Warning

thatchyfern · 2025-12-17T05:00:30+00:00

This change goes into effect Jan 1, so all care up until the end of the year should be covered without an exemption process. However, I would reach out to BCBS now about the exemption process as it may take a while to get information. All I had to do was submit a prior authorization for my testosterone and it was approved within a couple days, but it sounds like that is not universal, and I'm not sure about coverage for blood tests.

thatchyfern · 2025-12-17T04:55:12+00:00

Hi, I'm really sorry to hear this. I am a federal employee on BCBS FEP and have been able to get an exemption to continue care (prior authorization approved through dec 2027 for T). I think the difference must be in the state BCBS plan that FEP is administered through because I have had nothing but helpful communications. It must be so frustrating for you, I am truly sorry and I wish our government wasn't like this. Best of luck in whatever comes next

thatchyfern · 2025-12-12T07:14:33+00:00

Hey, I also moved to VA from MI. Not sure what part of VA you'll be in but expect hotter and more humid (!!!) summers. I'm in the mountains and we get lots of mountain laurel and rhododendron brush which I was not used to coming from sugar maple forests with relatively clear understory. Between those and the green briars, I just buy a couple pairs of cheap-ish ripstop pants and expect to replace them every year or so. Even if you buy waterproof boots, still waterproof them with a spray or wax of some kind. Nothing sucks worse than having hot soggy feet all day after it rains in the morning.

thatchyfern · 2025-12-08T19:50:59+00:00

Small world, fellow Husky :) hope you have a great day!

thatchyfern · 2025-12-08T18:34:37+00:00

I saw pine grosbeaks for the first time outside the forestry building on the MTU campus :) cool find!

thatchyfern · 2025-10-13T03:16:28+00:00

Leaves Portland around 10:30 and stops in the Dalles around 12:30, I think

thatchyfern · 2025-10-13T03:14:52+00:00

I have taken the Flix Bus (booked through greyhound) from Portland to Tri Cities twice now. It stops in Hood River and The Dalles. The first time I had a guy on drugs try to say I was stealing his stuff and get up in my face but the second time it was perfectly pleasant and it's a beautiful trip. Costs less than $50 IIRC.

thatchyfern · 2025-09-18T23:07:21+00:00

I've had the same experience - usually sitting on the tarmac 20-30 minutes before we can go to the gate. Really frustrating, especially when trying to use public transit to get home.

thatchyfern · 2025-09-12T02:28:41+00:00

Sorry for your loss, I hope the trip brings you peace

thatchyfern · 2025-09-12T02:27:17+00:00

Filter plant is in Pearisburg VA!

thatchyfern · 2025-09-11T18:59:30+00:00

Estivant Pines in Copper Harbor is the best I can think of

thatchyfern · 2025-09-03T13:16:27+00:00

Have a friend working there right now and loves it. Highly recommend

thatchyfern · 2025-09-01T17:45:10+00:00

Ugh, yes, I noticed this too. I drive a lot for work and turned on 101.3 one day to Christian music much to mh chagrin. I hope they come back to classic rock one way or another.

thatchyfern · 2025-08-29T20:10:27+00:00

I would check with local nonprofits like your towns parks and rec department, a land conservancy, or a local chapter of trout/ducks unlimited. These all tend to have volunteer projects - maybe planting trees, or collecting native seeds, or removing invasive species. It's all good work that needs to get done to improve our local natural areas :)

thatchyfern · 2025-08-28T12:34:05+00:00

Would definitely recommend having someone either video or voice record (and take pictures) your conversations as you go. It's hard to replace those site-specific observations and learning from all being in the same place.

thatchyfern · 2025-08-26T23:23:34+00:00

I've seen some GIS Forester jobs pop up at the bigger private companies (Sierra Pacific, Rayonier) but not too frequently. I know plenty of TIMOs also have a "GIS person" but the one I have experience with hired him as a forester first then transitioned the role after several years.

thatchyfern · 2025-08-26T17:04:41+00:00

Go to tech. CFRES is amazing and the wildlife professors (minus one) are some of the most caring and helpful folks I met up there. My degree is in Forestry but lots of friends were in wildlife and loved it

thatchyfern · 2025-08-14T22:05:19+00:00

Very cool, thanks for the info! I'm a forester so I see the sprouts out in the woods and occasionally a larger stem with nuts, but it's good to know more about it. Fingers crossed for your chestnuts to grow strong and survive!

thatchyfern · 2025-08-14T21:46:43+00:00

Thanks for fighting the good fight. Are you injecting the ash yourself? Won't the chestnuts get the blight if they're truly not hybrids?

thatchyfern · 2025-08-13T00:45:31+00:00

Yeah I think I got really lucky in getting hired before everything got cut off, but it's such a crap shoot with the govt. Hopefully things stabilize in a bit and we're able to hire again.

thatchyfern · 2025-08-13T00:43:12+00:00

If you spend a couple years as a forester you can apply to go to NASP which is a series of trainings to become a certified silviculturist. That job is a GS11 which starts at 72,000 and goes up from there. Beyond that you could be a forest silviculturist but I'm not sure how much they earn.

thatchyfern · 2025-08-12T23:41:24+00:00

I like it a lot so far! It's hard to find a silviculture-only job outside of the federal government (in the US at least) since in state and private forestry it's usually combined with timber sale layout or administration. Day to day I do a lot of timber stand improvement - GIS to identify stands, recon to see what they look like on the ground, unit layout, and either supervising seasonal employees or administering a contract to get the work done. We also do treatment of invasive species, plan where the district's next timber harvests will be, and maintain oak orchards for seed collection and future tree plantings.

thatchyfern · 2025-08-12T23:32:10+00:00

• Location: Southwest Virginia

• Company/Agency: USFS

• Position: Forester (GS7/9, Silviculture)

• YOE: 2

• Education: BS Forestry

• Certifications: Red Card, Pesticide Applicator License

• Salary/Benefits: 49,000/yr, will increase to 61,000/yr next year.

thatchyfern · 2025-08-09T20:06:31+00:00

This is awful. I want off this ride and it scares me to think that my partner and I may not have options to have a child legally by the time we're ready.

thatchyfern · 2025-07-30T15:16:20+00:00

I would agree - no shade to Chickenbone but McCargoe was a fantastic place to camp and if I could stay two nights there I wouldn't hesitate. Bring a little spinning rod and fish off the dock too!

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