Let me preface my first blog with some background information about myself.  I was born and raised in the suburbs of New Jersey and moved to western North Carolina for college.  The Wyoming landscape is very different than anything I have ever experienced in this country.  I am in awe of how the United States could contain such different landscapes and cultures, like New Jersey and Wyoming!

At the foot of the Big Horn mountain range is the Buffalo, Wyoming Bureau of Land Management Field Office.  This office has a spectacular view, is decorated with migratory bird and native plant posters, offers BLM recreation information, and is speckled with friendly faces. The first day my mentor showed my co-intern and I around the office and introduced us to our BLM family.  The people I met were warm and welcoming.  I felt at ease by their hospitality and was excited to glean knowledge from the veteran biologists and ecologists with whom I was going to be working so closely.

My internship began on June 13^th, and the first week of work included training and a general introduction to my role at the BLM Buffalo Field Office.  I was informed that my experience will include, and not be limited to: sheep fence inventory, monitoring the Greater Sage Grouse, plant identification and plant community assessment, and collecting seeds for the  Seeds of Success program.

I look forward to exploring the high plains desert and understanding the role of conservation within the BLM. I have started flipping though field guides and identifying the new flora and fauna I am observing at work, on hikes, and in my own backyard.   Observing the relationships of the BLM and those who lease the land is another component of the BLM I would like to investigate.

I am honored to have gotten the chance to participate in this internship that will aid in my growth as an ecologist and a person.  In the next six months I plan to work hard, ask questions, and be appreciative that I have a chance pursue my passion though ecological work at the BLM.

-Cheryl Geiger

Me in Crazy Woman Canyon Buffalo, Wyoming

As a CLM intern at the USGS in Henderson, NV, I have had the opportunity to explore the unique desert habitat of Nevada and California.  My three fellow CLM interns and I worked for several months on a project near Ft. Irwin in California, identifying the annual and perennial plants, taking biomass samples, and gathering general information about the plant community.  We ran into all sorts of reptiles, like the desert tortoise and horned lizard, as well as bees and other insects. 

We also saw a wide variety of flowering annuals and perennials, like the tiny, bright purple Nama demissum, the butter-yellow Malacothrix glabrata, the pink, spotted Eremalche rotundifolia, the speckled pods of Astragalus lentiginosis, and the orange Sphaeralcea ambigua.

In addition, we found interesting volcanic rocks and even fossils during our hikes around the area

.

Last month we worked on the Nevada National Security Site, formerly the Nevada Test Site, to continue monitoring the perennial plots set up in 1962 by Dr. Janice Beatley, of the University of California, Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Biology.  Dr. Beatley originally set up the plots to assess the effects of radiation on plant communities, and when the NTS stopped above ground testing, the plots continued to be monitored and now provide a look at the change in Mojave plant communities over many years.  It was fascinating to work in a place very few people have ever seen, as well as to be a part of such a long-running project.  I am looking forward to the rest of the summer!

We pulled out of the field station and headed west. As we drove, various peaks distinguished themselves. Mt Shasta looked menacing even from our distance, and Lassen’s snowy peak seemed to be begging me to come explore. We passed a sign that informed us that the small path through the grass was in fact the Pacific Crest Trail. Soon after that, we pulled onto a narrow dirt road which led us to a large meadow. Our tour guide, my boss Mike, informed us that this meadow was covered with a collection of shallow vernal pools which were just beginning to dry up after the wet winter months. We stopped when the road ended in a pool that had not yet dried up, and got out to take a closer look. What had appeared to be a field of grass was actually filled with tiny flowers. They were white, purple, yellow and pink and most were smaller than a pencil eraser.

Since the water blocked the road to our original destination, we turned around and got back on the highway. We drove for a couple of minutes and then turned onto a road with a primitive wooden sign that read “Cinder Cone Road.” We traveled through some Ponderosa pine, then some juniper, and then through another meadow. After the meadow, the scenery began to change. The road became rockier, and the plants became shrubbier and less colorful. We had entered an old lava bed. There were rocky outcroppings and flatter areas, all covered in plant life. I couldn’t believe how many plants were able to survive in such a demanding environment. We visited a large opening in the ground with smaller lava tube caves heading deeper underground, then hiked up a rocky hill to look at some flowers on a rare plants list. We drove along cliffs of crumbling rock and then entered a pine forest once again, before hitting the highway and heading back toward the office.

On the drive back, Mike explained why this was such an interesting place to work. The BLM Field Office in Alturas manages a wide variety of ecosystems from barren flat lands to sage-steppe habitat to pine-fir forests. We are located at the edge of the Great Basin to the East, and are bordered by the southern edge of the Cascade Range to the West. This means that plants from both ecosystems may be found growing right next to each other. Each day spent in the field showed me another type of terrain and plant life. It is comforting to know that I will not get bored of the surroundings of my new home, because if I am ready for a change, an entirely different ecosystem is never more than 20 miles away. I look forward to more exploration and I know that each day in the field will bring new discoveries and unique experiences.

My job in the internship program is to enter the Seeds of Success data forms that are sent to Megan Haidet at the BLM National Office into BGBase, a software program that organizes the data so that it can be more easily transferee among parties (BLM and the Royal Botanic Gardens Millennium Seed Bank).  I work out of the Portland, OR area from either my desk at home or a local coffee shop- although it isn’t as exciting as going out into the field and collecting seed, I can live vicariously through reading the blog posts that other seed collectors post!  It is nice to be able to see photos of you collecting seeds in the field on the blog- thanks for keeping me motivated!

I can’t believe I’ve never been to this state before. The scenery is spectacular– it’s staggering to even imagine how long geology has been at work in this place. I love being able to see mountains everywhere I go, even though most of my work is in sagebrush steppe country.

I arrived in Cody on May 11, 2011, and began my internship on May 12th. I confess to one or two days of homesickness at first, but thanks to a nice temporary home and a great work environment I am now quite comfortable here in Cody, and at the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). So far my work activities have included monitoring golden eagle nests, mending and respacing wire on fences, vegetation surveys, monitoring sage grouse leks, assisting in a hike with the public for National Trails Day, and planting native shrubs in an area previously cleared of an invasive species. Soon I will also be collecting seed for the Seeds of Success program, monitoring other raptor (birds of prey) nests, and surveying other wildlife species such as rabbits and amphibians. For now, my primary responsibility is to monitor golden eagle nests. The chicks are currently around 5 weeks old, and it’s amazing how fast they grow and change. I wouldn’t have guessed they would start out as little fluffy white fellers, but they do. At this age, they are starting to get black markings on their wings and bodies, which will eventually fill in until they are pretty much all dark brown.

Overall, I’ve had a great experience so far, and learned more than I can say or remember. It’s a very refreshing change after graduating from college to be learning in such a hands-on, practical way. There really is no replacement for an education in the field. That being said, field work does have its drawbacks and setbacks. It has been unusually rainy in Cody this year, which delayed many field activities. Most of the roads we take to get to our field sites are dirt roads or two-tracks, which have been largely inaccessible due to the rain. It’s unfortunate since this is a very important time of year for things like bird surveys and monitoring, but the rain also has some benefits. An unprecedented number of mushrooms have been popping up, and (in theory) it should be a good time to look for amphibians. In the end, you do the best you can under whatever conditions arise.

I have been in Arizona for almost a month now. Coming here with a background in botany, I was way off in the diversity of the plant species here, and their size. Being an SOS intern I have already had some amazing opportunities see some amazing wildlife and plants.

Because I started so early I did my training for the internship for SOS collecting in Colorado, and our field day was really neat too. And the training was really helpful in my professional growth because I know now what to expect in a formal seed collection.

Our focus for the SOS is native grass seed, but with the doubt and wildfires that our going we will do the best we can.

My mentor Terry holds out a dried-out piece of elk scat. “We’re only looking for freshly deposited droppings,” he says. “The trick to telling if it’s fresh is to see if it has a nice ripe taste. Just try it a few times and you’ll get to know the taste.” I look up at him. Is he joking? Yes he’s joking.

Bear poop!

I’m finishing up the second week of my internship with the BLM in Grand Junction, Colorado, and in spite of my mentor trying to get me to put elk poop in my mouth (he swears he wouldn’t have actually let me do it), it’s already turning out to be an amazing experience. I’m working in some of the most remote and beautiful places I’ve ever been. I’ve seen desert bighorn sheep up close. I’m learning the names of Colorado flora, and by the end of the summer I will have greatly improved my plant identification skills. After spending so much of my life learning things in a classroom, I can’t believe that I finally get to spend every day outside, learning by doing.

Fieldwork can be a bit of a challenge, what with temperatures in the 90’s and 100’s, gnats, and lack of restrooms. On top of that I’m still adjusting to the high altitude, having come from sea level, and later in the season I’ll have thunderstorms to look forward to. However, it’s turning out to be an amazing learning experience. I get to go to work every day and be surrounded by incredible landscapes. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer has to offer.

A collared lizard

While road tripping out to New Mexico from Michigan, I realized there would be a lot of changes in my life. Going from The Great Lakes State filled with forests, agriculture, and well, lots of water, to the Land of Enchantment filled with mesas, canyons, ranges, and not so much water. The landscapes, the plant species, the people, all would be different. Moving from my Forestry background into the realm of Botany through the Seeds of Success Program was also a major change. I was used to looking up and taking notice of the different trees around me, but I now had to be trained to look down and observe the vegetation growing at my feet.

In spite of all the differences, however, there are an astonishing amount of similarities. Learning a new species, whether it is a tree, shrub, forb, or flower, requires the same skills. First you have to be able to identify all of the different features of the target species and then be able to classify what you are seeing. Botany has its own set of terminology just like any other specialty, you just have to be patient and take the time to learn the language. At first the new vocabulary was daunting, but I soon started to grasp an understanding of the field, which has grown into an appreciation for these smaller plants.

The Four Corners Region is a beautiful area full of history and adventure. I am very excited to be working for my mentor in the Bureau of Land Management and cannot wait to see where these next 5 months of my CLM Internship take me

Largo Canyon in New Mexico

I have been in Safford, AZ for almost a month! I am originally from Ohio and was dreading coming to this dry hot climate. Now that I am here I absolutely love this place! I once thought that the desert was barren and dead. When I got out here and started exploring I found that I was completely wrong! There is a ton of life and there is always something new in bloom. Almost everyday I am told of a new place to go exploring where I find new plants!

Currently there are not a lot of plants on our collection list that are flowering. Arizona had poor winter rains and is experiencing large wildfires. This has made things a bit challenging. However, I have still learned a lot in the short month I have been here. Working with the Bureau of Land Management I have been exposed to public land and current management practices. We have seen the negative effects that grazing has on the environment. During field days we have learned about erosion pedestals, increasing plants due to degraded landscapes, and how people view the desert ecosystem. Through conservation efforts of many agencies the public is starting to become aware of the value the desert has to offer but there is still a lot of work to be done. I am amazed at the species diversity in the southeast corner of Arizona and will work hard to try and protect this beautiful ecosystem during my internship.

Pray for good summer rains so we can have an awesome collecting season! 🙂

Argemone pleiacantha