The month of July has been a very full month! My partner, Erin, and I have been splitting our time between collecting data for an on-going vegetation production study and SOS collections, both of which are time sensitive projects.

Our SOS collections have been focused primarily on key pollinator and sage grouse forbs, as well as a couple grasses and antelope bitterbrush. Even though we started with 16 vouchers of specimens that we had the potential to collect seed from, the reality will be that the final number of seed collections we make this season will be much smaller. I’ve learned this month how unpredictable and time-consuming the process of locating and monitoring a potential collection can be. I don’t mean these adjectives in a particularly negative sense, but I’ve had my eyes opened to some of the basic hurdles a seed collection program such as SOS must face. As we’ve monitored species, trying to predict the dates of prime seed readiness, many of the seed populations have gotten swept away or chomped to dust by wind and insects. Managing our time for two projects also meant that some of our seed was ready for us before we had the time to snatch it up.

In light of this, we are proud and excited to have completed our first few collections this month with the help of the Montana Conservation Corps crew that came to assist us from the Wind River Reservation. We were fortunate enough to have their help for two days collecting seed just outside of the Red Canyon Wildlife Management Area. We are hoping August will bring several more successful collections!

When we are not busy collecting SOS seed, our other task has been to gather data about the annual vegetative production of rangeland across the field office and make comparisons between grazed and ungrazed rangeland. Each study site we visit has an exclosure that has been preventing cattle from grazing these small sections of land for many years now, which allows the grass and other plants to proliferate (hypothetically) as the rest of the land would if cattle were not present. Our job is to collect data about the cover by species and production by species weight for plots placed inside and outside the exclosure. Part of this process is clipping small circular plots, dividing and bagging species separately and then weighing them. Today we finished our tenth and final study location and are excited to see what new projects August will bring!

After a very productive week in the NC OBX, the team returned to Chapel Hill for seed cleaning, debriefing, and planning. Our greatest feat was collected over 10,000 Prunus serotina seeds at Currituck Banks!

To take break from the seed room, we would help monitor some of NCBG’s properties while we studied up on our species list. But it’s North Carolina and we get a lot of flash rain showers…

After a week in Chapel Hill, we were ready to get back into the field. We planned out a trip up to Virginia and Maryland with five sites in mind. However, we found that seed production is experiencing a weird hiatus where some species are done producing, while others aren’t ready to be collected! We still got to see some awesome scenery and wildlife: a rafter of turkeys and a pair of bald eagles. Sadly, we saw no black bears this trip.

Until next time!

13 July 2015
The rains have started and the desert is popping!  The northern tip of the Chihuahuan Desert never does get very much rain, but we have seen pretty consistent (if you can call once+ a month consistent) rainfall here since November, 2014. There are plants I have never seen before; mostly because these seeds require winter rains and this is the first time in a long time that it has rained through the winter. The penstemons in my yard are putting out their third set of buds and the hummingbirds are happy.

We learned the protocol for monitoring the Peniocereus gregii var. gregii. These populations were last monitored in December 2013 by the Chicago Botanic Garden Interns: Elisabeth Ward and Kate Wilkins. Here is kudos to them for a job well-done. We appreciate the hard work you did blazing that trail.

Well, the end of the second month is looming and the schedule is getting full. But, we have made a few seed collections and visited several potential populations… and the heat goes on.

Until next month: Have A Great Summer!
Jeanne Tenorio
BLM-LCDO

Salutations!

Since my last post, Carla and I have been going out on our own to finish up the last of the trend monitoring at our allotments. Idaho has been getting extremely hot, upwards of 100 degrees, so we’ve had to be extra careful not to get dehydrated or overheated. It’s been pretty challenging navigating often overgrown and un-maintained dirt roads with our GPS unit, which doesn’t have all the roads marked or always clearly identify canals…and some of the old site descriptions (it’s been more than 10 years since some of these sites have been monitored or updated) are just terrible!

Cow bones

Our last trend site at Muldoon Canyon

For example, we’ll get to a stream after 2 hours of driving on heinously rocky and steep dirt roads only to realize the next area to cross isn’t for another 5 slow miles, then get to the site and realize the directions written for the reference post are incorrect, or better yet, forget the directions in the car after hiking a couple miles out to the site. We’ve been aiming for 5 8’s a week and have unintentionally had 10-12 hour days due to navigation, bad roads, directions, etc. Adventure!!! There’s nothing like having a 12-hour day, almost getting locked out of the parking lot at work, and then having popsicles for dinner when you get home.

The views are often worth the misadventure!

But that’s the very worst of it and it doesn’t happen often at all. We’ve been extremely lucky and it’s always a rewarding learning experience.  We’ve finished our trend plots, haven’t had any flat tires (a miracle), and haven’t gotten lost (just misdirected…). I’ve been compiling a species/code list and handbook with pictures and descriptions and we have over 90 and counting that we’ve identified in the field.

Lunch after checking pastures for cows

Even though the number of plants we need to keep track of is overwhelming, it’s completely worth it for the scope of different ecosystems and diversity we’ve seen in our allotments from desert to mountain. In addition, we did our first seed collection for SOS of bottlebrush squirrel tail (Elymus elymoides) which was a nice change of pace. Our next project is Habitat Assessment Framework monitoring which is kind of like trend monitoring except focused more on habitat and forage for sage grouse (i.e. canopy cover, a focus on forbs, etc.).

Picking flowers at Muldoon Canyon

A suspicious sample of snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

To balance our long, dusty, hot days in the field I’ve been going out during the weekends and doing some exploring in Idaho. I was fortunate enough to have two friends from back home in Florida visit me within two weeks of each other. I met Adam, an avid traveler, about 3 years ago through the “Outdoor Adventure Recreation” (OAR) club in college. He visited after finishing a short-term job grading AP government papers in SLC. I took him to Perrine Bridge, Dierkes Lake, and we went kayaking down Snake River. It was really great to see him and take him on a couple adventures, since he’s led so many trips that I’ve been on.

Adam, courageously leaping to the icy waters of Dierkes

The following week my best friend Shabnam visited. She’s working at Bryce Canyon National Park through the Student Conservation Association and spontaneously found a ride through her boss for July 4th weekend! It was a huge surprise. I took her to the Perrine bridge (the only man-made structure in the world open all year round for jumpers without a permit) to watch some BASE jumpers and Dierkes Lake as well, but this time  Carla and our co-worker Logan came. We did some cliff diving at Dierkes and found Hidden Lake after some exploring. There were like thirty 8 year-olds jumping off some of the sketchiest cliffs I’ve ever seen. The kind you need a long running start to clear the rocks below you. It took me 30 minutes of knee-shaking anxiety and a motivational speech from Carla at one of the lowest cliffs at Dierkes to get me to jump.

Hidden Lake

We also went camping the next day with some other friends at a Thousand Springs where we had a campsite right along the Snake River. I brought a festive alligator noodle (go gators), my friend Guillaume brought an inflatable raft from Fred Meyers, and Shabnam brought her new double camping hammock. We saw some fireworks, floated on the river with our inflatables, hammocked, and the next morning Shabnam and I helped take pictures for a 4-generation family reunion that was camping next to us.

Shabnam & her beloved hammock

The following weekend I went camping again at Bear Lake. It’s about 4 hours away and spans the border of Idaho and Utah. The weather in Twin the Friday we left was pretty heinous with lightning, thunder, and hail. Actually the surrounding parks in general had terrible weather, but for some reason Bear Lake was left untouched that weekend. We got to our site pretty late but managed to cook some trout (“trweet” if you’re French) and did some stargazing at the lake. The next day we rented kayaks and jet skis and pretty much spent the whole day there. It was awesome! Definitely my favorite trip so far since I’ve been in Idaho. I plan on going back some time in August for “Raspberry Days”.

Kayaking at Bear Lake

Jet skis!!!!!

Bear Lake

We also found a poster for the summer rodeo in Garden City which was about 20 minutes away from our campsite. I watched for the first time mutton busting (5-year-olds riding angry sheep), barrel racing, bull riding, bronco riding, etc. For an arguably inhumane and somewhat sexist tradition, it was pretty entertaining! And now I can finally say “this isn’t my first rodeo”. And I got some pretty good pictures of some cowboys totally eating it.

This past weekend, I visited Boise for the first time and explored downtown as well as the World Center for Birds of Prey. We saw different kinds of eagles, vultures, and hawks and I purchased possibly the coolest bird-themed mug ever.

Some building in Boise

Last Sunday Carla, Chelsea (Jarbidge CBG intern), and I took a day trip to the Sawtooth Mountains. We were initially planning a camping trip but the weather turned sour at the last minute for Saturday. We checked out Galena Summit and hiked for a couple hours to Titus Lake. It was a steep climb but the views and blossoming wildflowers were completely worth it.

Galena Summit

Chelsea & Carla post-hike to Titus Lake

All in all, it’s been a wonderful month.

Until next time,

Diana.

BLM Shoshone, ID Field Office.

I’m not scared of heights, but when I’m several stories up I don’t want to fall either. Likewise I enjoy a good thunderstorm, but when I’m standing on an exposed mountain my feelings toward lightening changes a little.

John Muir once said that “many of Nature’s finest lessons are to be found in her storms.” Any rational human being would call that an insane reason to wander a glacier field during a blizzard. And they would be right. That’s what makes Muir so much fun is that the guy was nuts. But watching a thunderstorm roll in while I was stubbornly trying to get work done, Muir does have a point. You see the field differently when you’re taking shelter under a juniper tree and considering if it’s worth the exposed run to lower ground amidst deafening thunder.

Of course, I exaggerate some. I wasn’t facing “the perfect storm” or anything. I was fine. But those were my musings as I contemplated how well I could jog down a mountain without needing to be air lifted. Cause there’d be a lot of paper work if I need to be “life flighted” out. And no one likes paper work. Or broken spines.

Thankfully there’s no paperwork. But it was one of those somewhat mundane moments in the field that does get you thinking.

My past couple weeks have been a riot with looking for raptor nests and marking them. Oddly satisfying work when you start to find them. The best was finding a Ferruginous Hawk nest with the two parents screaming away at me right over head. Made my day. I’m moving on to being fuels reduction this week, which will be a fun change of pace. Though that said, I will start to miss these punks:

Cheers!

Ben Robb

Our office and our community undergo an astonishing change between winter and summer months.  In winter, the community of Lopez Island consists of only 2,000 people.  It’s rainy and quiet and a lot of time is spent at the library, in the kitchen, or by the fireplace.  Similarly, the office of the San Juan Islands National Monument slows down, with only two employees (who none the less work tirelessly). As spring and summer roll on, the island swells with tourists and part time residents.  What was a sleepy village becomes a hive of activity as people enjoy the bakeries, biking, and public lands of Lopez Island.  During this time, the Monument also ramps up activity with a rush of seasonal employees (of which I am one) and events with the community as well as with the BLM.

The public lands on Lopez see huge increase in traffic during summer months.  Where maybe 10 people will visit a site each day in the  winter, it’s not uncommon to see 50 visitors in a span of a few hours on a sunny July day.

The change in the office is no less dramatic. At the moment (mid-July) we have two full time employees, three interns, and a youth work corp leader working out of our little 1000 square foot office.  Next week we expand further for two other seasonals.  Each of these people have an important function here at the monument: working with plants and seed, mapping and assisting with recreation management, engaging the youth, and helping to create interpretive plans for the monuments most beloved locations. That’s not to mention all the work our manager and recreation planner do.

This is my second year working here.  Last year, I collected baseline biological data for upcoming planning efforts.  This year, I am working with the Seeds of Success program.  My job is just one of many functions of the San Juan Islands National Monument, and its one that’s a little removed from the rest of the operation.  Still I get to meet different scientists and research specialists working on the islands as well as getting a look at the work of different BLM employees.  This past week I got to help out a team surveying wetlands in the area.  In previous months, I have worked with folks in forestry, wildlife biology, botany, bat biology, as well as interpretive specialists.

I frequently do work to assist and learn about other goings on in the monument.  I sometimes help at educational booths or farmers markets and I attend meetings that go way over my head.  Our Monument, which was designated in 2013, is going through an extensive planning process for its Resource Management Plan.  I’ve enjoyed learning about that process, attending lively Monument Advisory Committee meetings with members of the public, and sending my personal comments on the landscape.

Anyway, I guess I’m trying to say our summer is full of people and new learning opportunities (cheesy, I know).  Though at times I can’t wait for the quiet of winter, I’m pretty grateful for the chance to work with people in and outside of my field, as well as to learn more about the workings of a government office.

Greetings again from Idaho!  It has now been just over 2 months since my internship partner, Emile, and I have been transplanted to Boise.  We have worked around the Four Rivers Field Office long enough to have seen some pretty seedy areas.  Sometimes working with the BLM feels a little like working for the IRS because we are trying to minimize plant taxonomy evasion.  But all puns aside, if there is any doubt of the quality of the CLM internship program, I can personally voucher for the skills and experience gained through work related to the Seeds of Success program.

Since my last post, we have made multiple collections of primarily Elymus elymoides (Squirreltail bunchgrass) and Eriogonum heracleoides (Wyeth Buckwheat).  We also attempted to make a few collections of both Festuca idahoensis (Idaho Fescue bunchgrass) and Pseudoroegneria spicata (Bluebunch Wheatgrass), but unfortunately not enough of the seed pods were fertile to make the collections worthwhile.

Feeling like hunters with our fresh kills lined up in the bed of our truck

In addition to our work related to the Seed of Success program, we have also had the opportunity to help with other projects around our field office and others in the area.  One such project was monitoring “Species of Special Concern” in the Bruneau Field Office.  The species we were looking for was Astragalus yoder-williamsii, a rare milkvetch found primarily in Idaho and Nevada.  We located and analyzed 2 populations that hadn’t been monitored since 1992.  The plant itself is quite small (less than 8 inches wide/long and less than 4 inches tall) but seems quite tough; it was growing most densely in and along the dirt roads in the area.

Astragalus yoder-williamsii

Astragalus yoder-williamsii peaking out from beneath a savory pie

Idaho has also proven to have spectacular hiking, camping, and backpacking opportunities.  My first visit to the Sawtooth Wilderness a few weekends ago was amazing.  From camping along the Salmon River, to hiking to and swimming in freezing-cold, snowmelt-filled Sawtooth Lake, and relaxing on the bank of Redfish Lake, the Sawtooth wilderness weekend was a great one.  A subsequent hike in the Boise National Forest to Blue Lake and three rocky peaks surrounding it was also beautiful and memorable.

Beautiful Sawtooth Lake!

Beautiful Alpine Lake!

Beautiful Redfish Lake!

Beautiful Blue Lake!

Thanks for reading/looking! Until next blog,

Dan King – signing off

BLM – Four Rivers Field Office – Boise, ID