This past weekend while trekking high in the Sierra Nevada, beneath massive slabs of granite turned to the sky, I couldn’t help but reflect on the past five months of my CLM internship.  It seems the grand vistas from high in the clear mountain air always give me a fresh view on life and its circumstances.  It always astonishes me how fast time goes past- how seasons turn and seasons change.  I suppose the theme of my time spent in northeastern California working as a wildlife intern in the Alturas Field Office – BLM could be “surprise.”  Things don’t always work out the way you foresee them unfolding, and even if the road takes some unexpected turns, it is in our best interest to integrate and learn from those experiences.

Looking back, I came into this internship with a single intention in mind.  And that was to immerse myself in a federal land management agency in order to better understand the internal workings and processes which lead to large scale land management decisions within the public domain.  I came into this internship having had the experience of working for a non-profit conservation organization.  I understood how these comparatively small institutions pour their heart and resources into issues which they feel are meaningful and worthwhile.  Coming in, I had experience working within an academic research paradigm.  I understood how universities and their affiliates design and implement research projects to better understand ecological processes.  It seemed that within my experiences there was a gap, and this gap was a lack of understanding of how governmental agencies at the federal and state level interact with one another to develop and implement land management decisions and practices.

Through the hectic field season it was at times difficult to keep this intention in sight and in mind.  It can be difficult to understand the implications of the work you’re completing in the field and how it fits within the larger framework of policy and land management.  It is a good practice to make these sorts of connections.  Looking back, I can say that I accomplished my single intention.  I learned a lot about how these agencies operate and interact with one another, I gained a new vocabulary, and I gained a fairly wide variety of experience in the interactions I had with the botanist, wildlife biologist, fire detail, and other specialists within the office.  Most of all I learned a lot about myself.  I gained clarity into what I need in order to successfully complete my professional duties. I learned a lot about the sort of work environment and community I desire to have around me.  And I learned how to better communicate these needs.  Not to mention, I got to experience a new part of the world and immerse myself in a new community.  All-in-all, an action packed and informative summer.

Until next time- from Northern California,

Phil Krening

Wildlife Intern

Alturas, CA – BLM

pkrening@gmail.com

Mt. Shasta from the Trinity NF (copyright Phillip Krening 2013) http://headwaters.sqsp.com

Last Monday, I was sitting in the board room of the Surprise Field Office in Cedarville, California. In attendance were members of three separate BLM field offices from northeastern California and western Nevada in addition to members of State Fish and Game, several university extensions, and a handful of NGO’s. The meeting had been called in order to discuss the results of the census of Greater Sage-Grouse which was taken from mid-March through early May across Washoe, Modoc, and Lassen counties in northeastern California and western Nevada.

The data had been collected by an equally diverse group of agencies and volunteers and it painted a pretty clear picture.  Counts of sage-grouse leks (grouse breeding grounds) within Washoe, Modoc, and Lassen Counties were down, depending on location, by somewhere between 35-80% from the previous year.  Generally, counts taken in marginal habitat and peripheral areas had experienced a decline close to 60-80%, while leks in more productive locations which were closer to core Nevada populations seemed to have seen less of a decline.  These were simply rough numbers.  No complex data analysis had yet been rendered, though these numbers were startling to me.  We know that lek attendance and population fluctuates on an annual basis.  But a decline of up to 80% seemed to me a little extreme; especially considering the previous year hadn’t been an atypically dry year, nor could I account for any other glaring reason why there would be such a sharp decline over the course of twelve months.

Having worked with Sage Grouse before, in some of the more productive habitat in the country, this realization came somewhat as a surprise.  I knew that grouse had been declining across their range over the past century and a half, but in Rich County, Utah, it was difficult to tell.  Since I’ve been in Modoc County I feel like I have been able to see the decline first hand, almost as if it was happening before my eyes.  Within the Alturas Field Office we have three primary lek complexes on BLM land.  One of these sites, despite costly and extensive restoration projects, has not produced an active lek in three seasons.  At another of our primary lek complexes we were unable to locate any birds this season, for the first time ever.  The last of these sites, I had a high count for the season of seven birds total (three males and four hens) in an area which is perhaps as peripheral as any; a small sage island surrounded by national forest.  All of this makes me wonder, how long will it be before the birds are unable to sustain themselves in northeastern California?

A day after the meeting in Cedarville I was out in the field at one of the lek complex locations; Hayden Hill, a sage island surrounded by juniper and pine forest in the foothills of the eastern Cascades.  Within the area, there are close to a dozen points which are indicated as being historic or inactive lek sites.  I was just wandering around mulling things over, truthing the sites, looking for signs of sage-grouse use.  Mt. Lassen and Shasta were clearly visible to the west shining brilliantly and snowcapped in the midday sun.  While I was out wandering around I stopped to chat with a local rancher who was moving his cattle from his ranch to his grazing allotment.  He introduced himself as Jerry, a fourth generation rancher in Lassen County.  I told him who I was and what I was up to.  Jerry, as many throughout the region, was quick to tell me his opinion of ‘sage chickens.’  “Back when I was young,” he said, “sage chickens used to be everywhere.  Sure do see quite a few less now-a-days.” Jerry expressed his belief that the lack of predator control, specifically of coyotes, was the main factor which has contributed to the demise of the grouse.  Jerry has lived in these hills a long time, his observations are keen, and shouldn’t be discounted. Though, no such simple or straightforward explanation can account for the complex ecological, economic, and ethical factors which are at stake in the decline of Sage Grouse or any other perceived environmental crisis.

Sage grouse is a touchy subject throughout the Great and Wyoming Basins. Conversations which I have had with biologists, environmentalists, energy developers, and lay people on the subject often reflect these conflicting worldviews. The story of the decline of sage grouse parallels a thousand other stories of habitat fragmentation, the loss of species, environmental toxins, rampant development and so on, painting the picture of an environmental crisis; a perceived crisis which seems to exist on many different levels and in many different ways.  Underlying this story are the varying interests of people and the cultures they make up throughout the west.  All of this makes me wonder; if there is a crisis, perhaps it stems from our lack of ability to account for the varying and often opposing worldviews and value systems with which they are associated and their application to land management and beyond.  We seem to lack a working model, and in some case the desire to work towards developing a working model, through which to integrate and understand these various perspectives of stakeholders.

If the goal is indeed to manage land for multiple uses, how do we as an agency function on these multiple levels? How do we account for various value systems and their priorities? Is it even possible to effectively operate as a federal agency while still doing what is ecologically, economically, and ethically correct?

Phil Krening – BLM Alturas, CA

It’s been nearly a month since I first arrived in Modoc County, and so far it has been a dense experience. Settling into a new routine, getting caught up on projects, and meeting new people always seems like a whirlwind. It is always exciting for me to settle into a new place. Being that every place is defined by a unique ecology, culture, and landscape I find endless enjoyment experiencing the uniqueness of a new place.  No two places I’ve spent time have been the same, and the similarities and contrasts between people I’ve encountered throughout my journey have added richness and value to my life.

Seeking out diverse experiences is a priority of mine. I think that in order to best understand the complexity of the contemporary world, having a wide array of experiences is vital. The decision to come to Alturas, CA was in favor of having a new and different experience.

For at least the next five months, I will be filling a wildlife field biologist position with the BLM in the Alturas Field Office in northern California.  Sage Grouse have been my focus thus far. My job has mainly consisted of counting individual birds on breeding grounds (leks) in order to get an idea of the population size of the region. Besides warping my sleep schedule to fit the funky hours of a wildlife biologist the work has been fun and rewarding. Plus, I’ve gotten to see plenty of spectacular high desert sunrises on my morning lek count duties.  The Modoc plateau is home to a peripheral sage grouse population.  The population is isolated from the rest of the Great Basin by the Warner Mountains, and there has been a steady decline of breeding birds over the past half a century.  In this part of the Great Basin seeing any number of birds is a good sign.  As the lekking season comes to a close I am looking forward to finding out what the other work I will be doing this summer will entail.

Cheers,

Phil Krening – BLM Alturas, CA

Rainbow in the Surprise Valley.