The BLM interns in Farmington, NM have been keeping busy-

A couple weeks ago, Emily and I traveled to Silver City, NM for a Native Plant Society (NPS) conference. Professors and botanists presented on a variety of topics and lead field trips to see flora in gardens and natural habitats within the beautiful Gila National Park. It was really nice to spend time with people who have been observing and researching the native plants of the Southwest for years and they seemed to find it refreshing that a younger generation is interested in botany and conservation of native species.

In Farmington we’ve been working on checking off plants on our Target List: we’ve made some more seed collections, and very recently were allowed to go out in the field on our own to monitor sites and make more collections. We’ve also gone out with the BLM Rangeland Health Assessment crew to learn their methods and participate in assessment, while checking out new places and enjoying the scenery. It’s nice that we are getting to experience different aspects of the government’s role in public land management.

Although we aren’t seeing antelope or elk on a regualr basis, we’ve come to appreciate the smaller critters in the desert. We have run across lizards in spades, many of  them bright blues and greens and all of them super fast. The jackrabbits and cottontails bounding across our paths are wicked cute, and birds soar above our heads, calling. The surprise caterpillars and beetles we come across while picking seeds are quite the spectacle and kind of creepy. One species of red and black beetle in particular are like the witch’s soldiers in the Wizard of Oz.

In our cubicle, we’ve done a massive amount of herbarium research and plant species identification, as well as some data entry for a grey vireo project a wildlife biolost is doing, for which we aided him in plant inventory of his study sites.

Over the next two weeks we’re going to be going on field trips with local middle school students to help educate them about native plant species. More on that in a few weeks! Peace!

The first week of working at the BLM in Farmington, New Mexico with the Seeds of Success program was mostly spent doing research on the characteristics of our targeted species so we will be able to identify them in the field. We also got to spend a little time in the field and even made one collection of seeds.

The week after, I made my way to the Grand Canyon for training, which was an amazing experience full of wonderful sights and people!

Over the past week, Emily (the other intern) and I collected seeds from two more species with the aid of our mentor. We’ve also been visiting San Juan College’s herbarium to gather info about where our targeted species are located. Interning at the BLM has so far been a great new experience, and I look forward to what else more I can learn and do while I’m here.

Adjusting to New Mexico has been interesting, seeing as I am from New Hampshire and used to abundances of rain, trees, and other greenery.  I’ve found that the  people and the environment in Aztec (the town next to Farmington where I found a place to live) are great, and my roommate is fabulous, thankfully. Farmington is a bustling city where there are places to meet new people, and Durango, a place of activity and good food, is not a long drive away.