Thanks CLM for a great opportunity to work with the forest service!
My last month has been a whirl wind of new projects away from rare plant surveys. The last project to be put on my plate was setting up transects through different habitat types to measure shrub production and forage in grazing allotments. Its been great getting to be involved in so many different projects starting with rare plant surveys, then moving on to wildlife, soils and finally range. It has been an interesting experience being involved in the Rim fire recovery work and seeing how the forest service is moving forward. Our work surveying for sensitive and rare plants is only the first step in a long process of recovery for the forest. I will continue to follow the progress and hope that the work we did this season will keep the sensitive plant populations growing in the years to come!

-Emily

Out here in the Stanislaus National Forest we are done with sensitive plant surveys and wrapping up noxious weed surveys. Some of the last sensitive species blooming included Clarkia biloba sp. biloba and Clarkia australis, which thanks to the Rim fire disturbance have taken over the hillsides!

In the last few weeks I surveyed for plant species but also have had the opportunity to help with bat, Northern Goshawk and Great Grey Owl surveys. While mist netting we caught three species of bat; Tadarida brasiliensis, Myotis yumanensis,and  Eptesicus fuscus. While looking for owls and goshawks we surveyed known nesting areas as well as proposed timber units in the forest. With the rest of my time I have been helping with erosion control studies and range monitoring within the forest. It has been great being able to mix up the week with different activities and am looking forward to continuing to learn knew techniques in different fields!

-Emily

Above: Mexican free-tail. These guys were very relaxed and did not try to bite much.

Above: Big brown bat, man he looks angry!

Above: Mexican free tail

As more people join the botany survey crew here in Stanislaus forest our crews are filling out, leaders are getting organized, and we are getting ready to attack our surveys with full force! As the early season species we are surveying for disappear, we are starting to see a whole new wave of wildflowers. The last two weeks we have been seeing Clarkia species beginning to bloom, Eriophyllum nubigenum, and finding more Peltigera gowardii in streams.

The last two weeks have been dominated by mandatory trainings for the Forest Service as well as special trainings on soil profiling, habitat classification and orienteering. In the next week or two we will get more trainings on GIS and data analysis so we can begin to sort through the data we have been collecting.

Orobanche uniflora: hard to spot, but not uncommon

Eriophyllum nubigenum: Yosemite wooly sunflower

as the timber sales go through we will be seeing more logged slopes like this one here in the rim recovery area

Peltigera gowardii

-Emily Wells

Here in the Stanislaus National Forest every day is an adventure in the Rim Fire burn scar! There are sections of the forest wiped out with little regrowth but there are many areas with lots of regrowth or were not touched by the fire. Everyday I am learning more and more species as we do sensitive/ rare species surveys as well as weed surveys. These last few weeks have also taught me a lot about the forest and the incredible amount of recovery work happening this summer.

So far we have spent all of our time doing surveys in the field but come Monday the two other CLM interns and I here in the office will begin taking over data management and map making for the crew. We will all be getting a great refresher in GIS and soon will be pros. I am looking forward to our new responsibility, continuing to learn species in the field, and getting to know the forest and those who work in it.

Cheers, Emily

Erythronium tuolomnense, Tuolumne fawn lily. I have only seen them in one location so far and am hoping we find more soon.

fa

We have been seeing/flagging a lot of Mullin (Verbascum thapsus) these last few weeks, along with bull thistle.

Though some areas are still pristine, there are many areas within the Rim Fire scar that were completely destroyed.

In many meadows we have been seeing this species of interest; Trillium angustipetalum.