As I reflect on the last 6 months, I recognize the many ways that I have grown professionally. In dealing with a variety of seed vendors and other BLM employees, I have been able to sharpen my professional workplace skills, as well as my customer service skills. Personally, I have been able to get a better understanding of what it looks like to commit yourself full time to BLM projects that aren’t completed in just a few short days, or even weeks. It has been made clear that many projects take many months and years of hard work and commitment before being completed, and that doesn’t include the preparatory time before getting started. It takes a lot of passion and hard work to turn visions into reality. That’s something I will remember for years to come.

This internship has also taught me that hard work pays off. There were a variety of projects that I was assigned, some harder than others. A number of those projects took many weeks to complete. Regardless of how much time it took though, every day of hard work applied to that project was a day well spent and brought me one day closer to completion. It was unfortunate how quickly time passed when working hard. I wish I still had some more time to enjoy this experience.

Another factor that really made me enjoy this experience was the ability to sharpen my computer skills. I spent quite a bit of time on the computer and was able to learn many new things on Excel and Word. Having the capability to get better at utilizing those skills and learning new ones was a really good thing for me.

I am grateful for this experience and will always appreciate my mentor and the things that he taught me. I am also appreciative of the other individuals that I was able to work with and get to know. They were valuable in assisting me when I had questions and providing insight when things were clear as mud. This was a great experience and a great networking tool. I am confident that the addition to my resume will be a benefit in more than one way when applying for jobs in the future. I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors. Work hard, have fun, and enjoy your summer.

Boise Regional Seed Warehouse

Bureau of Land Management

Boise, Idaho

Spring is here! The weather here in Boise has been great the last few weeks. Everything is in bloom and the weather has been great in the high 60’s and low 70’s. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Before I know it though, it will be in the high 90’s and I will be waiting for it to cool down. Regardless, I am enjoying the spring weather at its best.

Now that my schedule has changed and I have gone to part time, it has taken me a little longer to complete the different projects.  I finished gathering information for the sagebrush project that entailed locating sagebrush lots that have been bought and sold, along with where they have been planted in the last 20 years. Once that was completed, I went back to going through all of the lots of seed in the warehouse and identifying what seed lots needed to be retested. Fortunately, of the hundreds of different lots in the warehouse, less than 30 issues were identified. Now that the Boise inventory is completed and up to date, I will begin focusing on the Ely warehouse these next few days in an attempt to finalize the inventory, update all of the seed lots, and identify test dates and current PLS. This task, however, will be more difficult for many different reasons, one of which is that fact that I am not down in Nevada at the warehouse. Considering the amount of time I have left with CLM, and the projects I have left to complete, time is definitely valuable. These next few weeks, I will be working diligently in my attempt to finish the workload in a timely manner. I am confident that I can finish what I have started in ample time. Have a great weekend, everyone.

Boise Regional Seed Warehouse

Bureau of Land Management

This last week, I came back from a short break. I am happy to be back and excited to continue my work at the Boise Regional Seed Warehouse. I picked up where I left off updating the warehouse inventory and identifying seed that needed a retest so that we would have updated seed test results for all lots of seed currently in stock. The Boise Regional Seed Warehouse relies heavily on test results so we know that the seed we are purchasing and selling has good viability and will do well out in the field once it is planted. Consequently, when seed is bought and sold, it requires a test result that is dated no later than 6 months from the time of sale. With over 800,000 lbs of seed and 200+ lots of different seed in the Boise warehouse, it is quite the task to go through every single test to make sure it is updated and readily available to be sold. I am about three-quarters of the way done, and should be finished within the next few weeks. Throughout the process, I have also been able to reorganize the test results to make the process of locating the tests a bit more efficient and streamlined.

I also started a new task this week that includes locating and researching sagebrush lots that have been purchased in the last 20 years, and identifying where they have been planted. This is being done to assist the USGS in analyzing the success of sagebrush lots in Southwest Idaho for the last couple decades. I went through many, many boxes of old files to help in locating the needed information. Although it was very time consuming (and dusty), I am confident that the information provided to the USGS will help shed light on the success rates of sagebrush habitats in recent years. I look forward to continuing this work in the coming weeks and will be eager to hear of the result.

Enjoy your internships everyone. Happy trails.

Until next time,

Eric

Greetings,

Happy New Year. The holidays came and went pretty quickly. Since going back to the grind, not much has changed. I continued to work on the PowerPoint up until this last Thursday, when I finally completed it. In some cases, the results were as I expected, but in others, not so much. Probably the most surprising result was the lack of seeding of certain species. For example, just less than 110,000 lbs of Vavilov II (agropyron fragile) was distributed since 2011. Vavilov II is a popular seed to be planted throughout the Great Basin due to its drought tolerance. More recently, it has been a popular substitute for a variety of different species when they are not available. However, in three seasons, approximately 110,000 lbs was distributed across three states. In comparison to prior years, that’s quite the decrease in distribution. I think the fact that it is an introduced species plays a large role in how often it is used.

Anatone (pseudoroegneria spicata), a bluebunch wheatgrass, had results that I expected. Since 2011, over 270,000 lbs of Anatone has been seeded in 8 different states. That’s twice as many lbs as Vavilov II in nearly triple the states.  Since it is a native species from South Eastern Washington, it is a more widely accepted species, with little to no controversial drawbacks.

After completing the PowerPoint on Thursday, I was able to jump right in to the next project of calculating historical seed prices for some of the most popular species to be sold from the warehouse. The species included bluebunch wheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, Sandberg bluegrass, Wyoming big sagebrush, and a few others. Depending on need, the prices of some of these species changed in price by a little, or a lot. For example, Wyoming Big Sagebrush sold as low as $1.88 per lb during one seed buy, and went as high as $35 per lb in another seed buy. The final average over a 5 year period ended up being $11.56 per lb. Now, the increase in price (from $1.88 to $35) did happen over a period of two years, but when studying all the price changes over a 5 year period, the increase in price is considered to be a drastic one. On the other hand, Sandberg bluegrass had gradual increases and decreases in price. The low came in at $2.09 per lb and the high came in at $12 per lb. The average was $6.45 per lb. As you can see, some of the changes were huge, where others were not.

A couple weeks before Christmas, I completed an informational seed booklet. Upon completion, I had it copied professionally for distribution. Over the holiday, I received the copies and thought I would post a few pictures of the finished results.

Information about Basin Wildrye. Courtesy of NRCS.

Until next time.

Eric Livermore

Bureau of Land Management

Boise, Idaho

Time sure goes by fast. It feels like just last week I was talking about cheatgrass. Much has changed in the last few weeks; including the weather. It went from cold, to colder, to below zero all too quickly. Rather than wishing I was out in the field, I am now pleased to be inside where it is warmer. I can’t imagine what it is like for some of the other interns in Utah, Nevada, Colorado etc. Since compiling information about cheatgrass, I have worked on three separate projects. The first was for internal purposes and dealt with gathering information about cultivars that the Bureau of Land Management uses on a regular basis. It was interesting to see how many different varieties of seed are used on a yearly basis. Not only that, but to realize that there are many different kinds of one variety as well. Once I had gathered all the information on the seed for the booklet, I printed it all out and placed it into a binder by variety. Now, when anything is needed, there are fewer steps to take in order to find what you’re looking for. Grab the book, go to the specific variety that is in question, find the answer, and you’re done. It will be a very useful booklet to answer questions, as well as to educate.

The second project I was assigned dealt with evaluating the functions and processes of the Boise Regional Seed Warehouse to determine what could be changed in order to become more efficient. Questions that I asked related to how the office could more efficiently complete and process paperwork, implement computers more often, and reduce paper trails. Through the use of iPads and computers, the warehouse has decreased the use of paper when filling orders, and utilizes software to complete inventories. I created a few flow charts to help ease any confusion that may occur from this change and, so far, it has proved successful. It is unclear just how much this will reduce the amount of paper the warehouse uses, but we are certain that anything we do to reduce the paper trail will have a positive impact.

The third project I have been working on deals with identifying the eight most commonly used varieties, indicating where they originated, and where they have been purchased and planted in the last 5 years. This project will be completed using PowerPoint and, as of right now, will have a decent chunk of information regarding popular varieties that go through the warehouse, the amounts purchased, and where those varieties are being planted. It will help to shed a little more light on how many native species are being put on the ground in comparison to introduced species.

It is crazy how fast time has gone by since starting my internship. I really hope things slow down a little, or I will be done before I know it. This has been a great experience and I am confident that things will only get better. I might as well say Merry Christmas to all reading this, too. I probably won’t be posting again until after the New Years. I hope you all have a good month, a restful holiday, and a Happy New Year. Until next time…

Eric Livermore

Boise Regional Seed Warehouse

Bureau of Land Management

Fall has certainly arrived. It has been getting colder around the Treasure Valley these last few weeks and I am fortunate enough to be inside the walls of the Boise Regional Seed Warehouse roasting away. Yes, there was a hint of sarcasm in that statement. Even with my unique experiences thus far, I am pretty jealous of all the activity my fellow interns have been able to practice outside the four walls of any building. After reading several blog entries, I am confident those experiences would not be traded in for my “desk job”. Even so, I digress, and will continue on with my personal extravaganza of late. Aside from the rather excellent seed decoration of my personal space within the warehouse, I have been working on calculating the amount of weed seeds that have been purchased within all lots of seed in the last year. Aside from noxious weeds, both prohibited and restricted, I have been paying most attention to downy brome (Bromus Tectorum), also known as cheatgrass. Surprisingly, some individuals believe that cheatgrass isn’t that bad of a weed and, in some ways, can actually benefit land after a fire has burned through. However, downy brome is detrimental to a variety of ecosystems. Not only does it quench beneficial growth of perennials and other natural vegetation, it can house rodents and other small insects that can harm the soils and any other grasses that still live. Even worse, it dries out very quick, resulting in an increased fire threat. It is obvious that fire has a negative effect on any portion of land that it burns. My work calculating the amount of cheatgrass seeds purchased within each pound of seed will help many researchers determine what portion of fire rehabilitation efforts add to the worsening of cheatgrass growth.

Once I have gathered all my research and input it into a worksheet, I will begin calculating the total amounts of the types of weed seeds purchased, the general area in which they were sold, and identify any patterns in amounts coming from specific regions of the Western United States. It will be very interesting to see how it all turns out. For my personal benefit, I am interested in seeing what amount of weed seed was purchased from any particular region, and if there has been an increase in weeds in the region where that specific seed was sold. Obviously, that will entail more personal research on my part, but since I have been working in the seed and fire rehabilitation business the last few years, I am interested in seeking out those results. A little less interesting will be the total lbs of weed seed purchased in relation to the total amount of seed purchased last year. For example, if the Boise Regional Seed Warehouse purchased roughly 1.5 million pounds of seed last year, how many pounds of that was weed seed? The results ought to prove interesting.

Fortunately, the Bureau of Land Management, Boise Regional Seed Warehouse, and each state individually have very strict policies on what weed seeds can be bought and sold within any given boundary. It is also nice to know that no matter the amount of weed seeds purchased and sold, the good seed will most always outweigh the bad seed.

Hopefully next time I will be able to report my findings of this project. For me, any day can bring a new project with a higher priority than the one I happen to be working on. Only time will tell. Until next time, enjoy the freedom of the outdoors and the splendor it surrounds you with.

Boise Regional Seed Warehouse

Bureau of Land Management

My name is Eric Livermore and I am currently an intern at the Boise Regional Seed Warehouse (BRSW) in Boise, Idaho. The warehouse supplies seed to government entities for fire rehab, stabilization, and other projects throughout the Western United States. The process of supplying seed is much more than just shipping seed. The warehouse stores more than 800,000 lbs of seed, and just over 35,000 lbs of that is sagebrush that is stored in a cooler between 30 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Proper storage of this seed is very important for preserving its viability and cleanliness, and ensures that the purchase and shipment of seed will be a simple procedure. The BRSW also mixes seed specific to a purchaser’s request. Seed mixes range from a couple pounds to a couple thousand pounds of different types of seed. No matter the situation, seed is usually used for drill seeding and dozer lines to aid in rehabilitation and, in some cases, future fire suppression.

Since I started my internship, I have worked in the office helping with seed requests, creating pick lists for selecting the seed to ship, and setting up shipments. Due to a heavy fire season, there has been a heavy workload to deal with. Among other things, there is a new regional warehouse opening in Ely, NV. I was very fortunate to be able to take a week to go down to Nevada and assist with the seed deliveries. That training gave me a very good idea of what it would be like to be a warehouse manager. During that training, I communicated with over 15 private vendors that sell seed to the BRSW, set up the layout in the warehouse for seed storage, and inventoried all seed that was delivered. It was quite the experience.

Other tasks that I have been assigned include calculating total amounts of cheatgrass that existed in each lot of seed from the largest seed buy of fiscal year 2012, creating spreadsheets analyzing peak operational efficiency in the warehouse, and creating an informational seed booklet for use throughout the BLM. Tracking historical seed prices and figuring out how many seeds have been purchased since 2011 are among other things I will be working on as well. Unfortunately, the shutdown did affect the schedule of completing my to-do list. However, I am confident that due dates will be flexible due to my inability to change the actions of others.

It is obvious that I will be busy in the coming weeks, but I am fortunate enough to pick and choose what tasks I accomplish as long as they are completed by their due dates, and in a reasonable amount of time.

Boise Regional Seed Warehouse

Bureau of Land Management