It’s been a long year this past year, but in a good way. I’ve had a lot of time for learning, working, improving, and growing up, and I’m extremely pleased to be able to look back on the past 365 days with satisfaction.

It’s hard to say what precisely has been going on since my last blog. Having just returned from a Christmas vacation at home, the previous weeks seem to have slipped from my memory. Next week I look forward to some archaeological survey work in the Little Mountain area of the Bighorns. It seems strange to me that we would be able to do this in the middle of January, when theoretically the mountains should be covered with snow, but it’s been so warm lately that perhaps as much of the snow has melted up there as it has here in the Basin. Nice though the weather has been, it is still a depressing reminder of climate change, and I worry about the effects, both here and at home. Every place seems to be having a very weird winter this year. What’s one little intern to do? It seems this is a prime opportunity to re-educate myself on conservation practices to reduce my impact on the environment. What could be more fitting for the end of the first chapter of my Conservation and Land Management internship?

Less than a month left. I expected to be doing constant office work at this point, but the weather has remained nice! A very dry autumn. There was even a wildfire in Carson last week. So instead of being shackled to our computers, the three of us have actually been able to get out in the field a fair amount. We’ve surveyed for rare plants, assessed burns, characterized uncommonly huge and dense populations of Eriogonum elatum, and made some late December seed collections.

We’ll be going to the CNPS 2012 annual conference in San Diego next week, and then it will be a lot of getting ready to pass off the reins to the next interns.

As the days now get longer (happy!), the temperature only gets colder (sad). But the work at the Lakeview BLM is still fulfilling and wonderful, For the next month and a half I will be working on mapping datasets from the ongoing invasive species management, and organizing the information for all of the Special Status Species (plants). I also decided to go to the Society for Range Management annual meeting in Spokane, WA which is pretty exciting. Even though it’s a hike to get up there, I’m really looking forward to learning in more detail about the research going on in the Great Basin and beyond in the field. I never knew that I could love living and working in the desert as much as I do (which is a lot!) and I’m excited to hopefully be working in this area in the future.

A highlight from the last week of fieldwork: For most of the field season, my internship partner and I were like a curse to everyone we worked with who told us they normally see wildlife every time they go out in the field. We rarely saw any. Maybe it’s that wildlife tend to stay away when they see crazy New Yorkers happy and awestruck at every single thing (AKA ..me), but it was strange. SO, on the very last day of fieldwork for 2011, a huge herd of Bighorn Sheep crossed the road right in front of me, but instead of climbing up the hill, they just hung out right next to my truck for the next 20 minutes. The animals finally decided they liked me.

Bighorns on Abert Rim

I cannot believe how fast time is going! As the New Year approaches I have been reflecting on the past year and how much has changed since then. A year ago I was living in Ohio and working at a Metropolitan park as an operations worker, I never thought that I would be living in Montana working as a CLM intern for the BLM. My experience so far has been wonderful, I couldn’t ask for a better place to be work and live.  This is my last month of my internship at the Missoula Field Office, I cannot believe I have been here for almost eight months. This last month has gone by especially fast with all the holidays. I still managed to accomplish quite a bit during that time. I have been taking online GIS training and managed to make a few maps with the help of my mentor John. I had the opportunity to do a winter bird survey with the Wildlife Biologist and my mentor,which was great especially to spend a day in the field. Other than that I am still working on setting up the herbarium and inventory list of all the specimens that we have. I am also finishing up data entry for all the habitat typing that we did over the summer and some range improvement data entry. It’s nice to have a variety of projects that I can work on and help out where I am needed. I hope I get to learn and experience as much as I can in the next month I am just grateful that I have more time here. Who knows where I will be a year from now, I am excited to see what will unfold in the next year. I just want to have fun doing it!

As my internship comes to an end, I am compelled to recognize those that ultimately made it possible for me to collect native plant seed for the last six months : pollinators. Some are opportunistically promiscuous while others are extremely specialized in the plants they pollinate. Through natural selection, plants evolve morphological traits that attract the most efficient pollinators. Similarly, pollinators may evolve morphological traits that allow them to harvest floral resources more efficiently from their favored plants. This relationship is referred to as coevolution.
My internship has exposed me to interesting examples of these relationships. Hesperoyucca whipplei is pollinated exclusively by the yucca moth, Tegeticula maculata, in San Diego county. In addition to pollinating this plant, the female moths deposit eggs into the ovaries of the female yucca flowers. The larvae then feed on the developing seeds and hatch to start the cycle over again. Since only a fraction of the total seeds are consumed, this is a self-perpetuating system. These two species are completely dependent on each other for survival and propagation.
Another interesting tale of pollination in San Diego county is that of Mimulus aurantiacus. This species has yellow phenotype predominant inland and a red one predominant towards the coast. The yellow one is pollinated by hawkmoths while the red one is pollinated by hummingbirds. This shows how different phenoytpes of a single species might have been selected for in areas dominated by different viable pollinators. Interestingly, as these two pollinators broaden their geographic range, so do their respective favorite Mimulus phenotypes.
The preceding was another biological lesson I was fortunate enough to encounter on this internship. While I didn’t actually get to see Mimulus getting pollinated, I got to see some yucca moth larvae emerging from yucca seed. Don’t worry, most of the seed was still viable for shipping. I want to take this opportunity to also thank all the humans that made this awesome internship possible. I had a great time. Now it’s time for me to head back to the redwoods.
-Miguel K.

We continue to work away in the Lower Sonoran Desert.  Opportunities have been amazing as we continue to work on a number of projects.  It is amazing to be able to expand my knowledge of the area as well as learn new skills.  In just the short time since my last post I have had the ability to assist in installing a solar well for the endangered Sonoran pronghorn this will allow the agency to save money because of the expensive maintenance of the older wind mills.  I also was able to assist in the relocation of some Sonoran pronghorn to the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge which was an amazing experience to just be a part of .  With only a few hundred of these pronghorn left it was a once in  a lifetime opportunity to be able to be so close to them.  I hope to have more exciting news next month!

When I tell people I collect seeds for seed banking, the first question I’m asked is if the collections are stored in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which is located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. While it’s awesome that so many people know about that bank, it is used primarily for agricultural species. Native plant species, especially those that are not threatened or endangered, receive much less attention. There are very few native seed banks around the world, and San Diego County happens to have one.

The seed bank here at the Safari Park houses more than five hundred different
plant populations. It is a straw bale, solar-powered structure that has all sorts of interesting contraptions used for seed processing. The seed bank is located at the back of the park and is the first permitted straw bale building in San Diego County. Cleaning and storing seeds is time consuming and often tricky, but it can also be very rewarding. Our goal is to collect multiple populations of the same species because each population may have adaptations unique to its
location. San Diego County is home to over 1,500 different plant species, so that adds up to a lot of seed collections!

When we first find a population that we want to collect we take clippings of the plant and press them to preserve the specimens (herbarium vouchers). It is best to take a sample that has both flowers and leaves so that the species can be verified by a specialist. Our herbarium vouchers are sent to the San Diego Natural History Museum for verification. Data on the location, soil color, slope, habitat, and associated species are also collected. After theses initial steps are taken we monitor the population until enough of the seeds ripen for a collection. We often have to compete with herbivores and rough weather to collect the seed before it is lost.

Once the collection is made, it is taken back to the seed bank and processed. The steps involved in processing the seed lots are generally dependent on each particular species. The seed and plant material is often rubbed over screens of various sizes until the seed is separated from its various shells, pods, leaves, pappi, and stems. Once separated, it is run through air separators so that lighter material is blown off and/or the seeds are lifted away from the heavier debris.
Even after all of these techniques are used, we are often left with seed that is still mixed with extra plant material. When this happens, our only option left is to clean the seed lot by hand.  With larger seeds this can be fairly easy, but with the small seeds it often involves a microscope, tweezers, and a lot of patience.

Clean seed lots are placed in the drying room in order to lower their moisture level. Once the seeds reach a moisture content between 5 and 9 percent, they can be placed in long-term storage. Five hundred of the seeds are counted out into groups of one hundred and then weighed. The entire seed lot is then weighed and we estimate the total number of seeds. At least ten thousand seeds are placed in storage at a time. If there are extra they are set aside for future
restoration and research. The seed is sealed in double-layered foil bags and frozen. It has been proven through germination testing that frozen seeds remain viable for decades.

Amaranthus fimbriatus

It’s been over a month since I left the Vale BLM office, so now; I find its time to reflect.
The skills and knowledge I gained from the work I did and the individuals I met have become part of me. They have made me a more confidant and experienced person. However, the field techniques, the plant names, the navigational skills are not what I think of now when I look back. When I think Vale… the desert is what I will forever remember.

I recently moved to the forested mountains of Colorado. Though they are beautiful, I miss the vastness of the high Oregon desert. I miss being able to see for hundreds of miles every day. I miss the sparse but strong plants I spent the summer looking for. The rolling hills, short fragrant sagebrush, and dancing shadows of the desert awakened in me an incredible sense of oneness with the land I worked with everyday throughout the summer. The vast Oregon land gave me a sense of place and belonging.

Its funny that when I started my internship I thought “oh wow, this is my first ‘real job’, my entrance into the ‘real world’”, what I entered into was a world where I experienced what I hope the rest of my life will be based on; studying and experiencing natural life, and working to protect it. The desert has made me question and reflect on my existence, my purpose, and my place. I hope to return to the desert shortly to find more answers… and discover more questions.

Since I couldn’t say it as well myself, a quote by Rumi.

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth. (Rumi)

This is my final month in New Mexico. Next week my brother flies out to endure the 24 hour drive home with me. He’ll be the first and last visitor at my mountain home and there is so much of the Land of Enchantment that I want to show him before we head off. Everybody who I’ve interacted with during the past 6 months has made a lasting impact on me: My mentor is one of the most patient and educated bosses that I’ve ever had, the group of friends I have developed at the office are amazing, and leaving my amazing “mountain family” (the two host families and some of the volunteers at the recreation center) will be hard to do.

The Organ Mountains, where I've called home for the past 6 months, woke up in the clouds.

December made sure its presence was noticed. A week ago, my part of New Mexico experienced more snow and chilly temperatures then my family in the Midwest experienced. After receiving a brief flurry, our office (as well as Roswell and Carlsbad) was released an hour early and granted a snow day. Although I was anticipating a snow-free winter, the powdered mountaintops offered a much more enjoyable experience as opposed to the ugly black slush and knee-high snow that the Chicago area is accustomed to. Plus everything melted by the weekend and temperatures were back to the mid-50’s.

Snowfall at Dripping Springs Nature Center

Now to reminisce about the past half year…

My first week as a CLM intern began in June at the workshop held in Chicago. I hadn’t even been to Las Cruces and I had absolutely no clue what to expect out of this internship. I met my co-intern, whom I would be living and working with. I was also able to get introduced with the Seeds of Success program and the process involved in seed collection. The following week I made my first ever solo trip out west. At the end of July we made our first full-fledged, team SOS collection of Helenium microcephalum var. microcephalum in an overgrazed, cow-dung infested field. By the end of August and September we had completed eleven collections which we considered a success. The harsh winter freeze from the previous year mixed with the hot, dry summers resulted in few native plants going to seed. We spent weeks working on a population density survey for Escobaria duncanii which was undeniably my favorite project. Our team drove all over southern New Mexico looking for plants to collect and learning all about the different habitats. Our last project as a full team was collection of leaf samples from Lepidospartum burgessii in the salt flats near Guadalupe Mountain. In November, our team was down to two members: my mentor and I spent three days in Roswell retrieving updated plant statuses for the potted Culp Sand Bluestem project that began three years ago (The bluestem is a key element in the habitat for both the Lesser Prairie Chicken and the sand dune lizard). This month I helped my mentor set up a new survey area in the Franklin Mountains to observe the density of a population of Escobaria sneedii. It was a great project that allowed me to stay busy on office days but still got me out in the field quite often.

A fall scene from the top of Caballo Mountain near Truth or Consequences, NM

I’ve learned just as much in my free time as I have during my work days. Hiked along the Gila River and discovered that substantial sandals are great investments when the trail you follow crosses the water more than ten times. Watched my roommate discover the best way to collect, de-spine, and separate seeds from prickly pears to make jelly. Found out that it’s best to call ahead to forest campgrounds in the middle of hot, dry summers to see if they’re open or not before driving two hours to the site to find out that it’s closed due to extreme fire hazards. Discovered the best way to catch and remove tarantulas, scorpions and lizards from the bunkhouse and got stung by a scorpion (just last week, look out!). I learned that it is best to bring a flashlight when going to a nighttime tour of zoos. I finish a half marathon and an obstacle 5K race. I experienced the fantastic culture that surrounds the southwest and walked with the community in the Dia de los Muertos procession. And most importantly, I perfected my own version of green chili stew.

I found a cow-bone-cholla-shrine while hiking a trail around the Organs, decided it was a good point to turn back.

It’s amazing how much of what I have learned over a year and a half ago during college is actually being put to use in multiple aspects of this internship and I’m so inexplicably thankful to the cast at the Chicago Botanic Garden and my mentor for the opportunity to experience and explore New Mexico for the past 6 months. The countdown is on and I have less than 10 days before I leave my mountain home and one thing for sure is that it won’t be too long before I return! ¡Adios Nuevo Mexico!