Author Archives: csample

Winter Seed Work

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Well I had no idea that as an SOS Intern I would be able to work through January. I was worried there would not be enough to do. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much we were able to do in the off season. We were able to collect seeds from many species of shrubs (Rabbitbrush, Sagebrush, Shadscale, Saltbrush, etc.) till the beginning of December. Once we had finally finished seed collecting we had about 400 collections that needed to be entered into multiple databases for the BLM and our mentor. This became tedious, but it was nice to get experience working with different kinds of databases (HanDBase, BGBase, and Access). We also processed soil samples so we could calculate the textures and colors. Who knew soils came in so many different shades of brown! Next we sorted through all of our plant vouchers to be sent to the Smithsonian and the BYU herbarium. We mounted all of the vouchers that were to stay in the Provo Shrub Lab and printed labels for all of them.

We were also able to help our mentor out a lot with his planting studies. We helped him plant seed at the farm where we learned how to drive tractors! Luckily we were able to plant everything just one day before the first snow. We also helped prepare a soil transplant study and planted Ipomopsis aggregata seeds by hand in soil plugs. Since we had so few seeds, this is necessary to ensure maximum germination before they are transplanted at the farm plots. I noticed that in the off season, a lot of time is needed to wrap-up from the previous season and then get ready for the next summer season. It was really nice to gain that additional experience in the office so we could understand everything that encompasses seed collecting and planting studies.

Overall, I really enjoyed my internship. It introduced me to new ideas and conservation methods and gave me hands on experience. I really enjoyed being able to work outside and explore new areas that I had no idea were so beautiful! I was glad our internship was extended so we could collect more seed, finish our tasks thoroughly, and help our mentor with his studies. Being able to ski in Utah was also a plus!

Corey Sample, SOS Intern, USFS Provo Shrub Lab, UT

Colorful Nevada

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How lucky am I to have a job where I get to be outside all day long! I have always loved the outdoors, but working retail at an outdoor clothing store is not very fun if you have to be inside all day on a gorgeous day. This internship has been quite a change from my last job and the location has been quite a change as well. It is a very different lifestyle moving from Seattle to Provo, Utah, but right now it is cold and rainy, so there isn’t much of a difference in the weather yet!
I was not sure what to expect since I did not know that much about the Seeds of Success program, but fortunately I was able to attend the Native Seed Conference in Snowbird, UT (in addition to the CLM SOS workshop) and I learned about an entire seed industry which works closely with federal land agencies. I majored in Biology and studied a lot about ecology, conservation, and animal behavior, but did not really know anything about botany. So I looking forward to learning about many new aspects of biology and conservation efforts related to the SOS program. It is refreshing to learn new things after being out of college for a year.
The past two weeks we have been out in Nevada searching for populations of forbs that will be good for seed collections. I am rapidly learning many of the common forb and grass species in the Great Basin and I am amazed at the species richness and diversity out there. I used to think Nevada was an arid wasteland, but there are gorgeous mountains to camp in and everything is very green and lush right now. I’m looking forward to spending the summer working outside, learning more about plants, and collecting valuable seeds that will help keep the great basin area blooming with color.