Hello everyone!!! This is Justin Chappelle reporting from Buffalo, Wyoming! This is my second year as an intern for the CLM (Conservation of Land Management), and I am beyond excited. Previously, I worked for the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) in Burns, Oregon on ES&R (Emergency Stabilization & Rehabilitation) monitoring throughout Harney County. I liked the experience so much, I wanted to do another internship with the CLM through the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

Presently, I am an intern for the Buffalo BLM station working on rangeland monitoring, SOS (Seeds of Success), and other side biology projects. This is my first week here and everything has been very busy. The other intern, Jill, and I did a couple field excursions and certification classes to help us get adapted to the upcoming field season. We will be monitoring many trend sites and scouting out locations to collect seed for SOS projects. Working in the high plains desert will be tough, but the experiences gathered from this internship will greatly help with my future job.

Certified and BLM Approved.

In order to go out in the field we would have to take a series of safety classes. Half of the training was done online and the other half was with BLM employees. I learned a lot from the CPR class, because our teacher was really hands on. The other intern and I had to learn how to work with AEDs, learn how to help people when they are choking, and learn how to efficiently do CPR. The class was exhausting, because we had to pair up with BLM employees that were a lot taller and bigger. We had to catch them as they fell over and we had to put them in certain positions to allow them to be resuscitated. (I had my workout for the day.) We were tested at the end and we passed with flying colors. We were CPR certified…and BLM approved. 😉

The next major training we had was defensive driving. The four hour long computer course was extensive and detailed…and sort of dull…but it had to be done! ^_^; The next step was to take a four hour class within the BLM building. We watched that BLM driver safety video that was done in the Western Oregon forests. I think it is funny how the video was mostly in a forest setting, while most of the BLM lands are in high plains deserts or drier regions of the United States. We passed the examination at the very end of the course and had to take our driving tests with one of our bosses. Jill and I easily passed. So we were certified in defensive driving …and BLM approved. 😀

Field Excursion: Into the Powder River Basin!

There were many opportunities to go out into the field to view all of the BLM land. Our mentor wanted to give us as much experience with the roads and the local flora. We went out to look for many SOS plant locations and identified many of the key high plains desert species. I noticed many of the plants that were in the Powder River Basin could also be found in Illinois (where I am from) and Oregon! The grasses were a little difficult to identify, because they were just emerging. Except Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass)…that grass was fully grown and ready for action. <_< Hesperostipa comata (needle and thread), Poa seconda (Sandbergs bluegrass), and Pascopyrum smithii (western wheatgrass) were some of my favorite grasses to identify that were sprouting out of the ground. This land had many diverse grasses and it will be very easy to collect the grass seed portion for the SOS projects.

When we entered the Powder River Basin, the area reminded me a lot of the Badlands in South Dakota. I could see most of the rock outcrops were made of kaolinite, goethite, and aluminum based minerals. The clay feel of the soil with the erosional patterns of the outcrops definitely looked like the Badlands. Many of the flowers and plants we saw in this section were adapted to these soils. There was a lot of Zigadenus venenosus (meadows death camas), Sarcobatus vermiculatus (greasewood), Penestemon angustifolius (broadbeard penestemon), Phlox hoodii (spiny phlox), and various scurf pea species. In some areas, we saw Opuntia polyacantha (plains prickly-pear cactus) and Pediocactus simpsonii (hedgehog cactus), which were very majestic in a spiny Wyoming way. Eventually, we saw a majority of our key SOS plants blooming. For some of the species we will have to make a mad dash to collect all of their seeds.

Pediocactus simpsonii

Opuntia polyacantha

Most of our trips through the Powder River Basin were accompanied by large thunderstorms. During this time of year, the field is inundated with storms. Looking at a green prairie with a back drop  of a massive cumulonimbus was strikingly beautiful. Even when identifying plants, the clouds kept the sun out of our eyes. This won’t last for long, but the scenery was breath taking.

The Powder River Basin had a lot of activity! There were many Lepus spp (jack rabbits) and (Antilocapra americana) pronghorns! They would gracefully eat grass or try to out run our vehicle. We would use our defensive driving knowledge and be aware of these creatures in case they ran in front of us. (Which was like 40% of the time.) The pronghorn seemed to dominate the area and were comfortable with eating around oblivious cattle. We did not see any jackalope, because they do not exist. There were many Cynomys ludovicianus (black tailed prairie dog) villages in the Powder River Basin and some of them had Athene cunicularia (burrowing owls) nesting on the outskirts.

Season Variations for Buffalo, Wyoming.

There was a lot of human activity as well dotted throughout the landscape. The Powder River Basin is known for the natural resources such as coal, oil, uranium and natural gas. We would pass different pumping stations that would help with resource extraction. Many trucks would be hauling different resources around the back country to processing plants. Viewing both natural and human processes in effect reminded me of the importance of restoration and preservation. Learning how to balance different processes is the key for the success of future generations. ^_^

Zigadenus venenosus              (meadows death camas)

Penestemon angustifolius (broadbeard penestemon)

Misadventures

This is the section where I talk about my adventures outside of work.  \(^_^\)

A Slice of Cowboy Life

My roommate Sean invited me to go with him early in the morning to look for Tympanuchus phasianellus (sharp tailed grouse) leks. I was ecstatic! I have never seen this bird before and there is a good chance that I would be seeing them this morning.  We went on a red sandy road east of Sheridan, Wyoming and arrived at the site around 5:45am. We saw two leks and both of them were active. The male grouse were strutting their stuff and did little dances for the females. They looked like a B-52 bombers with an erect wagging tail. The females were unimpressed and probably did not care for the rainy mist going through the area. The males were trying extra hard to shuffle and make thumping noises. The experience was incredible! O_O

We were traveling back to the car and we saw a truck hauling a horse trailer coming towards us. The cowboy pulled over and asked if we were here for the branding. Sean and I introduced ourselves and said we were looking for sharp tailed grouse and did not know about the branding occurring on this pasture today. We noticed more trucks and trailers coming towards us and so we went along with the caravan. We talked with many cowboys and cowgirls who were getting ready to herd the cattle. We stayed in our car as they herded every cow into the corral. When it was safe to exit the car, we walked to the corral. The goal of the branding was to brand, vaccinate, and neuter the calves. This was a community event and around twenty five people showed up with their families to this event. They were all here to help this rancher with the tasks. Sean wanted to help out and I was a little hesitant at first because I was not dressed for it nor was I prepared to help with the cattle. Eventually, Sean and I talked with the cowboys and the head rancher, asking them if they needed any help. They showed us how to gather the calves and brand them. The process was very quick and it seemed like the calves were in no pain at all. They were running around and staring at everyone after. Sean and I both helped out with holding the calves down. They were very strong and by the end of the branding we were covered with mud and poop. We were both tired from the event, but we met many different ranchers and cowboys/girls. We learned a little about the slice of cowboy life in Sheridan, Wyoming.

I could not get a picture of myself beyond this point, because I was pretty busy helping.

Rook is the best herding dog!

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That is it for this week, everyone! Thank you for reading and have a nice day!! ^_^

Justin Chappelle

Buffalo, Wyoming BLM

And now…please click on the below picture for your moment of zen…

For the past week, I have been working with a Geocore intern to collect baseline data for the San Juans National Monument.  We, along with a number of amazing volunteers, collected information on recreation infrastructure and botanical communities on 11 islands over the course of 4 days. Some areas covered several hundred acres while others were less than a tenth of an acre in size. The vegetation spanned from thin soiled herbaceous balds to coniferous forests with dense (DENSE) understory shrubs. We visited islands with a long cultural history, sites of lighthouses which still attract thousands of visitors each year. We visited popular camping islands along the scenic bay. We also managed to monitor small islands in the archipelago, spots not known by the public with no human trails. Between island visits, we saw breathtaking views from the boat; of the nearby islands and of the Olympic and Cascade Mountain Ranges.

Cattle Point Lighthouse, San Juan Island

Plant composition varied marginally with each island. The more trafficked islands as expected had more invasives including English Ivy, Canadian Thistle, Himalayan Blackberry, Hairy cats ear, Dandelion, Rosefoot Geranium, as well as a myriad of grasses. Smaller islands tended to have western juniper trees
and Garry Oak, both species being uncommon elsewhere in the arcipelago. Regarding the prettier characteristic flowers of the San Juan Islands, we found
Great Camas , Death Camas, Nootka Rose, Nodding Onion, Hayacinth Brodia, Bicolor Lupine, Common Paintbrush, Woodland Strawberry.

Great Camas

Hello everyone.  I want to share a little bit of my research in the Provo Shrub Lab. Since the last post I continue with our experiments using the electronic nose to identify smell patterns of sagebrush subspecies. We obtained our first smell patterns of sagebrush. However I am still analyzing, receiving samples, and discussing our results. The results discussions with my mentor and collaborators are very interesting and I am learning many things about sagebrush ecosystems.  Considering that the summer is coming I am looking forward to the field application of the electronic nose. The experimenting in the field at the common gardens is the next step of our research.

I feel pleased to work in the Provo Shrub Lab and with my mentor. Provo Shrub Lab is a good and very interesting place to work. I am learning many things from my work companions. Thank you CLM for this opportunity.

Hector

Provo, UT

Forest Service, RMRS, Provo Shrub Science Lab

It is exciting to see all of the Great Basin plants coming to life and sharing their beauty with the world. As the world wakes up around me, my work here has begun to increase at an alarming rate. The increase of work is fantastic! If I am not in the field doing a drought assessment, grazing utilization, rare plant survey or an outreach event; I am in the office keying out plants, working on GIS projects or keeping up with all the data entry. Soon the workload will increase as the blooming plants begin to produce seeds, as SOS collections begins so will fire rehab monitoring. Intermixed with all of this work we have had many unique training opportunities. We are have had pesticide applications training, GIS training, CPR training and MIMS training. It is hard to believe that I have only been here for three months and have learned so much. I am excited to see what new learning opportunities will present themselves in the months to come.

I’m not writing this entry from my usual spot in the intern cubicle, surrounded by herbarium specimens, dichotomous keys, and my 5 team-members. Instead, this entry comes to you from the Reno International Airport, my portal to Memorial Day adventures.

We just finished up another unusual and wonderful week in Carson. The entire Carson City botany team took a week-long training in Multiple Indicator Monitoring (MIM) of stream banks and streamside vegetation. MIM is a procedure for monitoring riparian systems specially designed for small streams impacted by grazing. We had classes at the University of Reno Nevada and practiced monitoring at three different streams around the area. I had a great time learning a brand new monitoring technique and getting my feet wet (literally). We also had the chance to meet professionals and students from all over the west hoping to use this technique in the future. If the diversity of the students in our class is any indicator, MIM is a widely usefully technique.

On our last day of field training we set up a designated monitoring area and took measurements from a stream in Balls Canyon. In the shade of Gayer’s and Lemmon’s willows we measured everything from stream bank stability to bank vegetation to pool depth. I was the only member of my group with non-leaky rubber boots so I volunteered to take the pool depth measurements. However, pretty quickly the boots were discarded and I was waist deep in silt and chilly stream water. By the end of the day I was soaked, grinning, and we had a very detailed description of a hundred meters of mountain stream. This morning our instructor told us that you can’t monitor streams affectively without wearing out some waders. Well I think I found a (admittedly chilly) way. A perfect conclusion to a fun and educational week.

Rebecca

Carson City, NV

I rolled in to Rawlins a couple of days before my official start date just to get settled in. It was approximately an 18 hour drive from my sweet Wisconsin homeland to the steppe ecosystem of Rawlins, Wyoming. I was welcomed with a blizzard the Sunday before my first day of work and decided to explore the town in my boots and winter coat. The town folk are generally pretty friendly, the town itself pretty small and the area pretty treeless.  But it is from here that I will begin my adventures with the Bureau of Land Management.
Our main project is focused on collecting the voucher specimen and later the seeds of 22 species and 3 genuses of local native plants within the BLM-Rawlins District. The seed collections are for the Seeds of Success Program which has the goal of collecting, conserving, and developing native plant materials for stabilizing, rehabilitating and restoring lands in the United States. Some of these seeds will be used for research such as germination trials, common garden studies, and protocol establishment while additional seed from each collection will be held in long-term storage facilities for conservation.
So far my time has been spent learning to identify the species on our collection list and getting familiar with the areas where they are found. This of course has meant a lot of driving time and a significant amount of hours on the computer. Two species on our list which are in bloom right now are Lomatium foeniculaceum and Cymopterus bulbosus which are both in the family Apiaceae. We collected voucher specimen for three different populations of the Lomatium and one of the Cymopterus. The Lomatium is starting to go into seed and we will have to return soon to begin our seed collections. Many of the areas where we are doing our collections are in natural gas fields, so I have been learning my fair share about the dynamics of conservation in the land of oil, gas and coal. I have also been given a crash course in operating a trimble GPS and navigating ArcGIS, which I sincerely appreciate.

The best part of being out here so far has to be the amount of wildlife that range the area. We have seen pronghorn antelope, elk, mule deer, bald eagles, western grebes and pelicans. My favorite, however, are the prairie dogs since learning about their complex communities, language and role in maintaining the ecosystem. The wildflowers are beautiful as well with Indian Paintbrush, Shooting Star, Evening Primrose and Blue Bells in full bloom. I look forward to seeing some wolves, cougars and badgers yet and maybe some areas with a few more trees.

Used by Native Americans in ovulation inhibition

Just getting to Rawlins was its own adventure. A spring storm closed all roads in the area during the weekend I began my move. I just finished an internship with the Student Conservation Association in Eastern California and only had the weekend to make the drive to Wyoming.

Stuck an extra day and a half outside of Salt Lake City, at least I can say I got to explore some beautiful mountains while I waited for the roads to open (Midland-Heber City area).  It was also nice to have a chance to see my mom. She very kindly drove from Oregon to meet me for a quick visit.

Rawlins isn’t quite what I remember from a road-trip that took me along I-80 last fall, but despite the oil and gas industry in our district, we’ve already been out to some beautiful areas beyond the oil fields in this part of South-Central Wyoming. In just over a week and a half, the other CLM Intern and I have identified numerous plant populations to watch in the coming weeks for collection, collected a few voucher specimens, assisted on raptor surveys, and (most importantly for my sanity as a true lover of trees and riparian systems) found some lovely, high alpine forests and followed the course of the Platt River to some potential collection sites.

BLM Field Office

Rawlins, WY

After my three day drive from Virginia, I finally made it to Vale, Oregon!  The environment is much drier than what I’m used to, but the lack of humidity is wonderful!  My focus is GIS, so I have not been out in the field yet.  May 19th was my first day, so I’ve mostly spent the past week training, learning more about the BLM, and asking lots of questions.  Currently, my training is focused on using and troubleshooting ArcPad and GPS units since I’ll be spending a lot of time helping everyone with their GPS units this summer. I’ve also been able to make a few maps for others in the building!  I look forward to learning more about the GPS units and becoming more comfortable helping others with their GPS and GIS questions and I hope to get out in the field soon!

Until next time!

Vale District BLM

Hello everyone,

Just finished up my first week doing vegetation monitoring and camping! Working at the Jarbidge Field Office has been really fun and I’ve learned a lot so far-especially about how an agency like the BLM functions and the typical workdays of techs. Most of my day consists of being out in the sagebrush, gathering data on the habitat vegetation composition and whether it is adequate for sage grouse.

I work in a crew that collects plant canopy measurements using point intercept transects. We also do stem counts on forbs that constitute an important part sage grouse habitat. The forbs are starting to flower more now too.

A lot of my time is spent driving to the field sites in our truck, but I’ve become really familiar with the more rural and agricultural areas (possibly where they grow potatoes?) on the city outskirts.

This week I’ve been up in the mountains of the “Diamond A” allotment of BLM land. The mountains are still snow-capped, and although with the cold, rain and snow you can tell that the area is a very harsh living environment; it has a rugged beauty that makes it breath taking to work in. While out in the field I saw my first badger ever and a golden eagle. I also met some of the ranchers driving cattle through the pastures on their horses (looking every bit like cowboys from old westerns, haha), which was really cool. It was pretty rainy and cold, so we had to return into town earlier than planned, but the weather this coming week is supposed to be much better.

Twin Falls continues to be a nice and quiet city to live in and I’ve had the opportunity to travel a bit more around the area, including the Magic Reservoir, Sun Valley and Balanced Rock, the latter of which is literally an Idaho-shaped rock balanced on a cliff on the road next to one of the field sites.

Next week I will be heading back out into the “Diamond A” for another week of camping and habitat assessment. Can’t wait!!

Maria Paula

Twin Falls Jarbidge Field Office