On our drive towards Caleveras county, I had no idea what to expect. I joined a team from our field office that was working on the emergency stabilization and rehabilitation plan for the devastating Butte Fire, which had consumed about 70,000 acres of land over three weeks in September. As we got closer to the edge of the burned area, there were more signals of what lay ahead – signs thanking firefighters and law enforcement, warnings against looting and unlicensed contracting, stations offering free food, water, and clothes.

Abruptly, the ground on one side of the road turned black – then, both sides. Some properties had escaped the flames, and some had suffered minor damages.  Others were burnt to the ground – small traces, an above-ground pool or chimney, were all that remained. The desolation was hard to comprehend as we approached the public land that we were planning to survey.

It was a huge relief to get out of the residential areas. Without the painful indications of human loss, one could almost imagine being on another planet.  Here, all was grey, orange, and red.  Without leaves blowing, or bees buzzing, it was very quiet – flies were about the only thing that moved.   But even here, you couldn’t look far without finding some trace of human life – a charred beer can, or the metal threads of a tire.  Even when these remnants were difficult to identify precisely, their geometry, their unmistakable built-ness, served as inescapable reminders that this still was, after all, our world.

Well, yes, we can find rare plants. The question really is: How many of the rare plants that are present in an area can we find? That doesn’t fit as well in the post title box, though.

One of the nice things about studying plants is that they are much more cooperative than animals. They don’t hide from you, run away, have large home ranges, or migrate. For those of us trying to survey them and map their populations, this is convenient. Nonetheless, not all plants are easy to find. There is basically a spectrum of survey-friendliness in plants. At one end, we might have something like Sequoia sempervirens: it’s big, easy to spot and easy to identify, and it lives for a very long time. At the other end, we might have something like Euphorbia rayturneri: it’s tiny, hard to spot, you can’t ID it without a hand lens, and it’s ephemeral. You can’t really find it at all unless weather conditions are right, and even under ideal conditions it’s going to be difficult to pick out from any distance or distinguish from the other prostrate spurges that are common in the area. Most plants, particularly in desert areas, are going to have at least one of these characteristics that make surveys difficult. So, today I’m going to give a brief example using one of the species I’ve already discussed several times on here: Peniocereus greggii var. greggii. For a desert plant, it’s reasonably large, generally 1 to 3 feet high. It’s easy to identify. It’s pretty long-lived. It is hard to spot, however. Here’s a large plant, pretty unobscured:

And here’s what you’re more often dealing with–a cactus hiding inside a shrub:

So, let’s suppose you’re surveying an area to ensure that some upcoming project won’t harm our peniocerei. What kind of detection rate is achievable? And, given that detection rate and some understanding of the density and spatial patterns of Peniocereus greggii var. greggii populations, how many individuals can we expect to harm simply because we couldn’t find and avoid them? Those are difficult problems and, instead of trying to answer them in any kind of rigorous fashion, I’ll just provide some anecdotes. We have three populations of Peniocereus greggii var. greggii that were thoroughly surveyed back in 2012, and for which previous CLM interns began a monitoring study in 2013. They’re just about our best case for high detection rates.

This year, my interns and I went out and remeasured plants in two of these populations (Steins and Swallow Fork). In the third (Big Cat), I went out back in May with several other botanically-inclined folks kind of poking around (I was just hoping to find plants in flower, and luckily I did!). In all cases, we found new plants. In the Big Cat population, three of us were wandering around for two or three hourse, mostly checking on previously-known individuals. We found ten new plants in an area where 32 were previously known. For the Swallow Fork population, we found 12 new individuals where 26 were known previously. In the Steins population, we found 58 new individuals, where 113 were previously known. So these put very approximate upper bounds on the detection rate in previous survey, somewhere around 67%. I’m sure if we had done full surveys in each of these areas, we would have kept finding more individuals, so the actual detection rate is probably substantially lower. Now here’s the interesting thing: many of these new individuals we found were right next to previously known plants! It was fairly common, in all three populations, for us to be looking for one of the previously GPSed plants, have a little trouble finding it, and stumble across another plant a few meters away. In all but a couple of cases we were eventually able to find the original GPSed plant, so it’s not just some kind of GPS error. Here are a couple of maps of of portions of the Steins and Swallow Fork populations to illustrate–notice the scale at bottom left, we’re dealing with pretty small areas:

Often, the previously known plants were in worse shape and harder to find than the “new” plants. So, how did the original survey crew find those beatup, unhappy plants while often missing a big healthy Peniocereus a few meters away? Well, they almost certainly didn’t. There’s a very simple explanation that wouldn’t have occurred to me. Drs. Ed and Beth Leuck mentioned to me about a year ago that Peniocereus greggii var. greggii that they’ve been monitoring seem to die back to the ground every now and then, particularly after flowering. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: these guys have big honking tubers. So they can die back to ground level, then pop back up next year. This is very odd for a cactus. It’s also pretty odd for a tuberous plant. Most tuberous plants, at least in our climate, don’t have woody above-ground stems that persist for a few years. So we’re dealing with a tuberous cactus that has somewhat ephemeral stems. After the stems die back, they are incredibly difficult to spot. You can be within a meter of a GPSed individual and still poke around for five minutes until you find that one dead stem that isn’t like the others. So, as a cactus, you would think that one of the things Peniocereus greggii var. gregii has going for it is that you’re dealing with a long-lived plant that is basically going to be where it is and be findable over long periods of time. Nope. So that moves it a notch or two away from the survey-friendly end of the plant spectrum. I guess the moral of the story here is just that, even though plants are easier to keep track of than animals, they’re still kind of a pain. And most plants are probably going to have some weird quirks like Peniocereus, you just won’t know about the quirks until you’ve spent some time with a particular species.

Now a few miscellaneous pictures.

Is it a legume? No, it’s a spurge, Phyllanthus abnormis!

And here’s a Pituophis catenifer sayi who was not pleased to see me:

Well, this fabulous internship has drawn to a close. It seems incredible to me that I have only been in Arcata working with the local BLM for 7 months.  I have built an entire life in this time. When I arrived in March I found a community ready and willing to embrace me, with roommate potlucks and workplace BBQs I was ushered into the world of farmers market Saturdays, greenhouse gardening, and land management. Between the plant surveys and the seed collecting there were hikes that raced the tides and secret swimming holes that were clothing optional. The wanderlust that so often has me…by the belly aching fire, was quieted for a time as I threw myself into rangeland health assessments and invasive weed management.

I am constantly looking to add to my “biologist’s toolbelt”; skills that will make me an even better, more well-rounded conservation biologist and geneticist. This internship was incredible for expanding my skill set, with new experience in California floristics, rare plant surverying, GIS, and range work. I was exposed to some incredible, passionate resource specialists whose joy for their job was contagious and whose experience and mentoring was invaluable for me as I decide my next step.

A huge thank-you to the Arcata gang, and the always amazing CBG.

Well the day has finally come! All my duties are complete: the last data points for my LPC (lesser prairie chicken) and DSL (dunes sagebrush lizard) surveys have been entered into GIS; the last wildlife camera has been collected and viewed; and all the field data sheets have been scanned and filed accordingly. My last week at the Carlsbad Field Office has been actually really amazing. I expected myself and the other interns to be stressed with all these last minute responsibilities, but perhaps we overestimated how much we had to do, or maybe we are just that efficient! Also, it helps that we all had a bit of last minute fun.

On Thursday, two of the office’s cave specialists took the last of the interns caving in Dry cave, a BLM managed site. Actually, probably the two most distinguished cavers in the region. They took us on a 5 hour journey about 100 (plus) ft subsurface, through a maze of low lying tunnels, passing by mounds of century old bat guano, down 40 ft deeps cracks in the earth, and through the teeniest hole I’ve ever squeezed myself through in my life.

Dry Cave

We went into the cave with a grin on our faces, and we came out, albeit a bit more bruised, grinning even more and laughing on the windy slopes where the cave is nested into the mountain.

Dirty crew

Prior to the caving extravaganza, I was coming off an epic backpacking trip in the country’s world’s first designated wilderness area, the Gila Wilderness, Northwest of Silver City, NM. I transversed the Gila river a few times and up several canyons, exploring yet another one of New Mexico’s beautiful scenery.

Gila Wilderness

Throughout the last 5 months, I was fortunate enough to have an internship with a diverse spread of experiences. From wildlife to botanical work, my internship has been riddled with long hours in the summer heat of the Chihuahuan desert, to the chill, informational environment provided in the office. So many experts to learn from and talk with about their job priorities and life experiences. The advice they’ve shared with me will travel with me to my next endeavor, whatever that is. Being near all these hard working persons has given me a deep sense of what the passion of others entails, and it has strengthened my own.

I wanted to give a big thank you to the CFO wildlife staff that have been a constant source of information in regards to the management and conservation of resources in a highly controversial environment, as well as a stable and unique source of entertainment. I have never worked with such a friendly group of professionals that have made me laugh as much as I have this field season. Of course, I also want to thank my dedicated mentor for being the most helpful resource of them all. He has been the keystone to all the interns’ success. He helped us get started, provided the right tools, and let us do our own thing whilst in conjunction providing the best experiences as possible, all while working his own difficult job on top of that. He has been an inspiration, and I would be extremely happy to reach his level of work ethic in the future!

I’m not sure of my future plans as of the moment, but I’m looking at graduate programs very intensely, and I hope to be able to start school again next fall. However, whether I go back to school again or not, I have the CLM internship to thank for all the experiences and opportunities that have been provided and presented to me.

Krissa, thank you for organizing this amazing internship, I hope that the next generation of interns have just as an amazing time as I know I did and several members of my cohorts. Conservation Land Management rules!!

Good luck to all those finishing up!

Thanks again,

Armand Cann

When I first started this internship, I was doing more Seeds of Success Collections than anything else. We were completing 1-3 collections every day and monitoring nearby special status plant populations. Now it’s that time of year where most species in our field office are well beyond the point of collecting.

I really enjoyed the collections, but I am grateful for the opportunity to learn new things. One new field experience is vegetation mapping sagebrush populations. Another fun new experience is raptor surveying. My fellow interns and I are also in the process of designing a monitoring program and potential expansion of a Buffaloberry exclosure. We were certainly surprised when close to thirty long-eared owls emerged from the shrubs! It was very exciting to see so many at once.

I have also had the opportunity to refresh my environmental education skills. I developed a botany lesson plan and taught a home school group of roughly 20 5th graders. We hiked on the Bizz Johnson Trail for 2 hours as I taught them about the native plants.

Teaching on the Bizz. Photo Credit to Jeff Fontana of the BLM Eagle Lake Office.

Luckily for the drought, not every day has been sunny and beautiful (although most are!). We have been getting some rain in the Eagle Lake field office. This has given us time to catch up on office work. We have been finishing up our SOS forms and preparing the herbarium specimens to send out soon. We have also been helping with an ongoing project of digitalizing the ELFO’s herbarium.

As usual, my weekends have been full of new adventures. A few new places I’ve explored are Humboldt Redwoods State Park, a black sand beach, and Whiskeytown’s numerous waterfall trails.

One of Whiskeytown’s beautiful waterfalls

I really recommend taking a road trip on the scenic highway 395. Yosemite National Park and Lassen National Park are definately main attractions, but the route has many other gems. The route itself offers breath-taking views of the Sierra Nevadas and even the trailhead for Mt. Whitney. I explored the mammoth lakes area, including the columnar basalt formation, Devil’s Postpile. I also checked out some geothermal areas, including a hike along Hot Creek and a soak in Wild Willy’s hot springs. Convict Lake has absolutely stunning views, making for an enjoyable hike. One of my favorite stops was the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. There is something magical about being surrounded by trees which have lived for thousands of years.

Convict Lake

The Ancient Bristlecone Pines

Only one more week to go!

Cheers,

Rachael

Sadly, this will be my last blog entry. My time with the CLM is coming to an end. This has been such a rewarding experience. I’m glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and took a chance with a position across the country. It’s been challenging, since my husband had to stay in Ohio. But with support back home and the amazing community of friends that I made in Utah, it has been one of the best summers of my life. I believe I have grown so much, both personally and professionally through my time here.

While I’ve had previous experience with fieldwork, this position has been far more autonomous in nature. I’ve been able to plan and execute projects both with my team and on my own. We’ve ran into many unexpected issues and worked through them. This has helped me to further develop my problem solving, leadership, and organizational capabilities. You never know when you’ll pop a tire or equipment will malfunction, but as long as you can keep calm and improvise, things usually end up working out.

We got a flat while we were out inspecting troughs and installing bird ladders. Luckily, we were on flat ground so it was an easy fix.

I’m grateful for all the skills and experience I have been able to hone out here. A few of the projects I have worked on while in Cedar City are:

Raptor nest surveys
Intensive wildlife monitoring
Avian point counts
Bat mist netting and assessment
Utah prairie dog capture and relocation
Utah prairie dog sylvatic plague research
Electrofishing
Seining and invasive fish removal
Riparian Proper Functioning Condition assessments
Riparian Multiple Indicator Monitoring
Rangeland Health assessments
Rangeland Trend monitoring
Trough evaluation and bird ladder installation
Seeds of Success

Okay, that’s more than a few, but upon reflecting, I was impressed by how many projects I got to contribute towards. I’ve learned so many new monitoring techniques and got the trapping and animal handling experience that I was very much looking forward to. Aside from the protocols and monitoring methods I have learned, I’ve also gotten to develop skills with many of the tools used in the field. Something I was really hoping to get better with was GIS and GPS usage. GIS is such an important tool in fieldwork, and I was finally able to get some hands on experience with it, both out in the field and in the office. I was even able to complete a couple GIS certificates through the esri website.

My mentor has been pretty amazing this summer by arranging for us to experience many different aspects of field biology. Since the BLM is in charge of managing land, most of our wildlife work for the BLM involved monitoring and surveying the land for animal usage. We completed raptor nest and wildlife surveys for a bike trail they were putting in and assessed the data in order to mitigate any negative impacts the trail would have on the surrounding ecosystem. We also performed avian point counts, raptor nest surveys, and intensive wildlife monitoring in Hamlin Valley. This allowed the BLM to move forward with some of their land treatment plans to improve habitat for the greater sage grouse, while balancing the needs of the other wildlife. This work has been of great importance to protecting the greater sage grouse and helping keep it from becoming classified as an endangered species.

Since all of this work was hands off, my mentor arranged for us to pair with the Cedar City DNR and obtain trapping and handling experience. Not only did working with bats, fish, and prairie dogs allow me to develop many new skills, it also gave me the opportunity to get a feel for the DNR and what it is like to work for another government agency.

These wonderful ladies are some of the DNR crew we worked with for the prairie dog sylvatic plague study.

One of my biggest worries about coming out here was that I would be moving to a completely new place and not know anyone. I didn’t know if I would fit in or if I would make friends easily. I am astounded by how many new relationships I’ve made through this internship and how amazing the seasonal biologist community is. I’ve met people from all across the country and gained many new personal and professional connections. My coworkers quickly became friends and we have explored a good chunk of Utah. I think I have hiked and seen more sights this summer than all of my previous summers combined. I will be leaving here with great memories and cherished friendships. Below are photos from a few of my favorite trips.

Hiking my first slot canyon!

Backpacking in the Uinta Mountains with my co-intern and wonderful friend, Zach.

Meeting up in Escalante and going on an adventure with fellow CLM interns Jessie and Jinny. After meeting in Chicago, we really hit it off and were lucky enough to be in the same state!

Finding petroglyphs in Zion national park. As avid hikers ourselves, Nathan and I were excited to find ancient backpackers!

Overall, this entire summer has been one grand adventure. Though it was challenging at times, it was an amazing experience and I’m grateful to have been able to participate in the Conservation and Land Management program.

-Amber Barnes

Well the internship is coming to an end, and I’ve got to say I’m going to miss this job. I didn’t know what to expect when I was told I’d be going to Utah. To be honest, it was never my first pick for places to travel to, but once I met all the great people and saw all the beautiful country, I was set. I’ve made great friends, and had some spectacular adventures.

The view from Delano Peak (elev. 12,000 ft).

Over the course of this internship, I’ve watched fledgling eagles fly for the first time. I’ve surveyed and consulted the management of thousands of acres of wildlife habitat. I’ve electro-shocked, seined, and sampled through a myriad of the Virgin River’s fish. I’ve trapped and sampled from Utah Prairie dogs, an endangered species. And of course I’ve collected plants from all over southern Utah, and aided in the enrichment of its rangeland.

Excited to be in all the muck while surveying this riparian zone.

This internship was so diverse. The sheer amount of experiences I gained was fantastic, and I think it will play a huge role in my ability to succeed in this increasingly competitive job market.  I’m very grateful the Chicago Botanical Garden gave me this opportunity, and I hope the Cedar City BLM office has seen that through my work.

Good times with good friends.

Saying good bye to Big Indian Gorge

Time can be a complicated concept. The ticking hands of a clock concretely mark the seconds of a day, but that day can seem to last both an eternity and fly by in the blink of an eye. In this same way, it seems strange to be writing my final blog post today. Five months felt like forever in the beginning, but summer always ends too soon.

Astragalus whitneyi var. confusus seed pod, one of my seed collections

Regardless of time, this internship was jam-packed with learning experiences, all of them rewarding whether pleasant or otherwise. Here’s a short list:

-cardboard from your plant press and a tiny spade can get a monster truck un-stuck from wet clay

-always say yes! even if you’re terrified of public speaking, being seen & heard can lead to a job

-it can take a really long time to count to 10,000

-the world of botany is relatively small; anyone can become a networking wizard in no time

Erigeron compositus var. glabratus

This internship also provided me the opportunity to improve my botany skills. There’s no better way to learn than to sit in a meadow of wildflowers with a flora and a hand lens. I keyed all the plants I could, most of them charming little herbaceous guys. What a dream job! Working with the BLM collecting for Seeds of Success, I made voucher specimens (pressed plants) for all my seed collections.

A few of my 52 SOS specimens I mounted for the Portland State Herbarium

This gave me the opportunity to learn proper herbarium curation procedure. And, my voucher specimens will be housed at the Smithsonian! It was great fun looking at all the flowers I had pressed earlier in the season and creating (what I would consider) works of art. It’s too bad herbaria don’t showcase exceptional collections at museums with pieces by Picasso, Frida Kahlo, and Georgia O’Keeffe. 

making new friends

I believe my experience was different in the fact that I was a team of 1 in the field, but even so I met numerous like-minded people over the field season. Networking really was a large part of my internship, from my contacts at the Burns District BLM office, to the Oregon/Washington state office, the people I met through the Oregon Native Plant Society, touring the Bend Seed Extractory, meeting other CLM interns in Chicago, working with the Portland State Herbarium, and coordinating with Steens Mountain flora expert Don Mansfield. The more people I met, the clearer it became that the working (and retired) botanists all knew (or knew of) each other — and now they know me!

magical fairy land spring covered in Arnica mollis and monkey flowers (Erythranthe guttata & Erythranthe lewisii)

Working as a CLM intern has been truly excellent. If you are a recent graduate with any interest in plants, I recommend you apply. I am grateful that a CLM intern recommended I apply last year. My resume and skill set have grown exponentially while being able to make payments on my school loans (this internship pays better than most entry level field jobs I’ve found). Remember: say yes!

Before anything else, let me just say that if you the reader are an employer and looking for a highly competent wildlife biologist, look no further!

Alright now more realistically, that’s five months wrapped up. An adventure that was absolutely worth driving across the country. I was actually a little slow with getting this up. So I am now writing this in a Starbucks in North Carolina visiting friends.

I am extremely thankful for all of the experiences gained through my work with the BLM Prineville district. But if I had to limit the lessons learned down to a handful of tid-bits, it would be this:

1. Own up to your mistakes and you’ll learn more from it and faster. Especially when I first started working this summer, making mistakes was practically a habit of mine day by day. The worst moment was when I failed to write down directions to a specific site. I dumbly assumed that the roads would be easy to follow…they were not. This bold assumption making two of us marooned on dirt roads, unable to get to our site, with my coworker understandably considering strangling me when it turns out I never wrote down the directions. This leads me to-
2. Keep a notebook on your person. Credit to Kathleen for this one! She’s right. Always keep a notebook around, old school style. It happens all too often that people sporadically tell you valuable info at the worst moments. Those notebooks can be a lifesaver, or at least help you find difficult locations in rural Oregon!
3. I don’t know what the deal is with country songs, there’s nothing “fun” about driving a 4×4 through muddy roads. And if it is fun, then you’re not on a real dirt road or you’re an extremely dangerous driver. One of the two.
4. At the specific moments you feel like you’re falling into complacency…push yourself out of your comfort zone. I was falling a little to much into a routine of just hanging out at my apartment in September, so I forced myself to go backpacking in Rainier. And I wouldn’t trade that weekend for the world. Even if it poured rain and I was on my own, which leads me finally to-
5. Learn to be alone. There’s a world of difference between alone and lonely. I think too often in the past I used me being alone as an excuse not to do any adventures. And that’s stupid. I started to accept in Oregon that I may never be around here again, so let’s see it all while I can. Hiking alone is a skill that I think is fading away, and while it is nice to have other people join, I see nothing wrong with hiking in solitude so long as you’re smart about it-as in let others know where you are. With my girlfriend still on the other side of the country in North Carolina, I was certainly alone a lot. But that does not mean you have to be lonely, you just have to learn how to be alone, which in the overly connected world we live in today I think learning to be alone is vital sometimes.

I never cared for Dr. Seuss, but I do love “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” as it always alleviates my anxiety when life comes across as too much. So now, after driving across the country twice and countless adventures, I’m excited to see where I will go next.

Cheers,

Ben

I’ve finished working at the Eagle Lake field office in Susanville, California. A lot of things have changed since I started in June. I cut my hair, for one. But more importantly, I’ve grown a lot as a person. Working here has been my first experience living away from home and completely supporting myself, and it’s my first time working an actual job at an actual workplace. All of my other jobs have been centered around the fact that I was a student working for my own or other universities. As a human adult working in a professional capacity with other human adults, I’ve had to learn to tone down how silly and obnoxious I can be sometimes because it’s not conducive to getting work done. I’m glad I got to learn this special and important lesson as an intern, because interns are allowed to be silly and mess up sometimes (right?).

Being away from home has also shown me how much I value my family and friends there. In my past experiences I either haven’t been farther than a few hours from my home base or I wasn’t gone for very long. I don’t mind being far from home, but I do appreciate my friends and family more now.

As for skills I’ve gained, I’m a lot more confident in my ability to learn and recognize an abundance of plants. I’ve gotten pretty good at recognizing the plants of our field office, and I think I’ve gotten pretty good at looking for special status plants as well. I’ve learned how to navigate the treacherous backroads that are made mostly of lava rock and misery, and I’ve learned how to use a GPS. Working with three other interns has sharpened my group work skills (I hope they agree).

One learning experience in particular stands out to me: We were driving in the Skedaddle Mountains, and it was my first time driving in the backcountry with the jeep. I’m not sure if the Skedaddles were the best place to learn, seeing as the road was mostly a mountainside full of rocks and other treacherous obstacles, and I bottomed out a few times. But I quickly gained sharper eyes to detect snags in the road.

My fellow interns are fun fun people. We’ve had a blast in the field, joking with each other and sharing lots of laughs. I’ll treasure the memories we’ve made because honestly, we’re hilarious. Also our mentor, Valda, is the best! She’s so fun and helpful, I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor.

These past few weeks we’ve been working in the office for the most part, which has been almost entirely unpleasant. Because of this, I know that I’m not cut out for the windowless cubicle life, at least not yet. Sometimes after being in the office I’m more fatigued than when we’ve been out hiking all day! I used to think I’d be able to do any job as long as it was something I believed in, even if it meant working in a cubicle, but goodness gracious I don’t think I can do it.

After this, I’m not really sure what I’m going to do. I love scientific research and I’m planning on going to graduate school, but not until 2017 at least. Until then, I want to experience as many places and fields of work as possible. I’ve got my eye on urban sustainability currently, so I’m hoping to scare up some sort of internship with the city planner’s office when I go back home. We’ll see how that goes~!

I’ll miss this job every day, though. The people are great, but the work is even greater. The beautiful places I’ve been to and experiences I’ve had are irreplaceable, and I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity.