As the seasons change and the temperature drop I transfer from the field to the office.  Here in Denver we have had a little snow but less than back home (Southeast Missouri).  In Missouri, they got over ten inches of snow on top of 1/2 -1 inch of ice, and here in Denver we have only gotten about 6 inches total thus far.  This will all change as the new year begins and the big snows start to come.

In terms of work I have transitioned to a desk and have accumulated numerous books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and field reports that all are to do with population modeling and with the way to determine the status of a plant population with currently available data.  I’m trying to determine if the previously collected data on file can be used to perform a population viability analysis for the Phacelia formosula population that we monitored this last field season.  Several other monitoring efforts were completed in the late 80’s, early 90’s and on into the 2000’s.  Carol (my mentor) started her current monitoring of the species in 2010.  In order to aid the Fish and Wildlife Service on future actions with regards to this species, Carol was asked to try and streamline monitoring efforts so that a better understand of the species ecology could be obtained.  As a part of this effort, I was asked to try and find a way to best present past data and to determine what type of monitoring might provide the best understanding of the species ecology in the future.

As I search the literature pertaining to population modeling and PVA and the kinds of data that they were requiring to achieve an acceptable degree of accuracy we are gradually concluding that population numbers might not be the way to pursue our wanted solution.  In light of failing to find a suitable model that could be used with the available data, a different angle might be needed and that angle might just be to look at the associated habitat and try and configure some habitat models to achieve what we want to achieve.

In my next entry maybe we will have found that solution and I can share what we decided to do.

Regards,

Nathan Redecker

Lakewood, Colorado

Colorado BLM State Office

Due to the government shutdown our team here in Colorado was unable to get to some of our final seed collection sites.  Depending on how the remainder of October progresses we might get back out to collect one more time, but it seem unlikely.  With plenty of work in the office I will stay busy for the rest of the time I have as a CLM intern.

October is quickly flying by as the seasons change as well as the priorities from seed collecting and rare plant monitoring outside to preparing vouchers and reviewing data from the monitoring season that just finished up.  As well as the normal seeds of success projects and the monitoring data I have been given the opportunity to pursue a project pertaining to some of the mysteries that surround Phacelia formosula.  The mystery I am trying to demystify is the presence of a seed bank and its size.  All of the study locations around the monitoring plots that we monitored this past summer to hopefully somehow link our monitoring data to the population size data.

Our Seeds of Success team went to the local chapter of the Native Plants Society back at the end of September where we had the opportunity to hear Dr. Weber give a short speech.  The rest of the event was very interesting also as the organizer gradually progress through all of the current state level rare/endangered species and updates were given on sightings for the year and any other pertinent data for a certain species.

With winter coming, snow will soon be here. That is something I am very excited about. Not just the mere presence of snow, but the amount that falls here in Colorado is one of the most exciting parts of the season for me and I am looking forward to it.

Nathan Redecker

Lakewood, CO

BLM Colorado State Office

Finished up the monitoring for the season with a trip up to Walden, CO to complete the monitoring on Phacelia formosula, a trip out to Silt, CO and up onto the Roan Plateau to a shutdown oil shale site for Penstemon debalis monitoring and finally a trip out to Montrose, CO to complete the monitoring on Eriogonum pelinophilum and establish several new monitoring plots.  The week in Montrose was the week of rain here in Colorado with several systems passing over the state but as always whether rain or shine we were in the field completing the work at hand.  The rain and the Adobe gave us the opportunity to experience mud caked boots which in turn gives you a better perspective of the land as you gain 2-3 inches in height as well as a higher intensity hike to your field site, an enjoyable experience of hiking in the rain and running through mud.   Seed collections haven’t stopped with several more completed at our Leadville location, a couple more completed at the Kremmling location and a revisiting of the Strawberry location near Fraser, CO for a collection of an Orthocarpus luteus and a status report on the Castilleja sp. and Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda.

Nathan Redecker

Lakewood, CO

Colorado State Office

The past couple weeks have been filled with more monitoring with a little seed collecting thrown in. Eutrema penlandii was the first species that was monitored and it was located on top of Mosquito pass, Hoosier pass, and a place called Cameron Amphitheater all near Fairplay, CO.  While completing Eutrema sp. monitoring at the various location I got the opportunity to talk to forest service and fish and wildlife service personnel and learn more about what they are doing in terms of endangered species as well as other projects they have going on.  After those three days of monitoring data entry was the next thing and determining sample size and if transects could be added or removed.  Then for the next week Sclerocactus glaucus was the species to be monitored down near Delta, CO.  Several established plots were monitored as well as some new locations.  The new locations were based on EOR’s that were recommended by Montrose BLM personnel that came out and helped with the monitoring.  At the EOR locations we completed a point in time survey to determine if the location had enough plants to make a monitoring plot in the future.   The next week monitoring work was completed on two species of Physaria sp. once we figured out the Oil and Gas road organization within a certain section of the Piceance Basin.  The following we was data entry as well as some seed collections.  The previously visited Leadville site had really exploded with potential collections since it was seen last.  Also, personnel from the Kremmling field office had a location scouted for Frasera speciosa which was collected as well as a Delphinium sp. and that location had other potential collection too.  All in all the past couple weeks have been very informative and successful.

Nathan Redecker

Lakewood, CO

Colorado State Office

The adventures continue in Colorado, where I’m seeing more of the state every day.  Scouting new areas including more BLM land, and less of the surrounding open space parks and collections, continue too.  We made a collection of Pulsatilla patens on BLM land called Strawberry, just north of Fraser, CO.  I went to the North Sand Dunes, another BLM parcel of land near the Colorado/Wyoming border, to check on the progress of a Corispermum sp. which has been the focus of a study by local scientists on whether the population is all one species or several different species.  While up at the dunes, we scouted and discovered that Cryptantha sp. and possibly an Oenothera sp. might be collectable species.  I also got to explore an alpine wetland near Leadville, CO in search of Boreal Toads with Jay Thompson, The State Office Fisheries and Riparian Program Lead, and learn about the system and habits of the toad.  While at the alpine location, we took the opportunity to observe the abundance of the Aquilegia sp. and a few wetland species that might make a good collection.  Monitoring started up in July out near Kremmling, CO, where we monitored two endangered species Penstemon penlandii and Astragalus osterhoutii.  Monitoring will continue through the next couple months with Eutrema sp., Sclerocactus sp., Physaria sp., Phacelia sp. and maybe a couple Astragalus sp.  An experience I am looking forward to: learning the monitoring techniques and the different regulations that surround the process that takes place when studying an endangered species and the inter-agency cooperation that occurs.

Nathan Redecker

Lakewood, CO

Colorado State Office

In the last couple weeks, I have continued to scout for seed collection sites at numerous Open Space parks near the Denver, CO area. I also got the opportunity to travel Silt, CO to do some scouting on BLM land, where I saw some different species include a very cool Cymopterus purpureus and the beautiful Calochortus sp. Collected herbarium vouchers for species that we thought had a big enough population to create a 10,000+ seed collection.

Last week I participated in the CLM Internship Training Workshop in Chicago, IL, where I got the opportunity to meet some of the other interns in the program. The workshop was very well organized and very informative for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the Conservation Genetics presentations. Dr. Jeremie Fant was one of the most interesting presenters I have seen in a while. The quality of the presenter made the content that much more interesting and gave me additional ideas for possible Graduate thesis proposals.

When I got back to Colorado, three species were ready for collection in Silt, CO; Cymopterus bulbosus, Cymopterus purpureus, and Allium textile. We made our way out to Silt and got to collect seeds all day. Like all ecosystems, there is always at least one annoying little insect that seems to enjoy the taste of humans and Silt was no different with cedar gnats. We had bug spray but it seemed not to bother the gnats and they annoyed us the whole time we were on the site location. Next day we packaged up seeds and shipped them off to Bend, all of them except the Cymopterus purpureus due to a low seed balance. We collected additional seeds later in the week when the winds were high in Silt and the gnats were not an issue. We also made a collection at an Open Space park near Idledale, CO.

During the week we also got to go to a drone demonstration which was interesting. I was surprised that it was a helicopter and that it could fly in 35mph sustained winds and had a top speed of 70 mph, but most of the models used by natural resource managing agencies have governors on them which restricts their speed to 20-30mph.

Nathan Redecker
Lakewood, CO
Colorado State Office

In the first couple weeks of my CLM internship at the Colorado State Office in Lakewood, CO, the weather has been good and the field work has been fun. The first couple days were training, but once that was out of the way I had the opportunity to go into the field to do some preliminary scouting of possible seed collection sites at some of the local open space parks. The opportunity to find and key out new species in a new environment is very exciting. While in the field I have noticed similarities of western species with the species I learned in Missouri allowing me to key out species quickly at times. In other instances, the species I encountered were totally new to me and that was just as exciting as it presented an opportunity to challenge myself to determine the species name and hone my keying out skills.
Additionally as a native Missourian, and having only been to Colorado once when I was younger, the opportunity to see the Rocky Mountains every day is truly an awesome experience. I am looking forward to utilizing all of the recreational opportunities that this wonderful area has to offer. I am also looking forward to working with the professionals of BLM and learning as much as possible to reach my career goals.