Well, this fabulous internship has drawn to a close. It seems incredible to me that I have only been in Arcata working with the local BLM for 7 months.  I have built an entire life in this time. When I arrived in March I found a community ready and willing to embrace me, with roommate potlucks and workplace BBQs I was ushered into the world of farmers market Saturdays, greenhouse gardening, and land management. Between the plant surveys and the seed collecting there were hikes that raced the tides and secret swimming holes that were clothing optional. The wanderlust that so often has me…by the belly aching fire, was quieted for a time as I threw myself into rangeland health assessments and invasive weed management.

I am constantly looking to add to my “biologist’s toolbelt”; skills that will make me an even better, more well-rounded conservation biologist and geneticist. This internship was incredible for expanding my skill set, with new experience in California floristics, rare plant surverying, GIS, and range work. I was exposed to some incredible, passionate resource specialists whose joy for their job was contagious and whose experience and mentoring was invaluable for me as I decide my next step.

A huge thank-you to the Arcata gang, and the always amazing CBG.

Summer is drawing to a close here in NorCal but I’m happy to report that I’ve received an extension and will be in Arcata until October. As much as I’ve explored over the past 5 months, there is still so much more to see! Not to mention learn!

Summer in California is synonymous with wildfire and this year has been no exception. As I write this, over 60 fires are raging across the state, thousands of acres have burned, hundreds of miles of dozer line has been cut into the wilderness, and millions of seeds will soon be needed for rehabilitation. Californian wilderness is highly fire adapted with many species thriving in the space created after a blaze, however too many fires in too short of a time period can cause biodiversity loss and dramatically increase the susceptibility of the habitat to invasion from non-native plant species. The time immediately following a fire can therefore be a critical window to perform rehabilitation with native species, and the National Seed Strategy for rehabilitation and restoration, launched by the BLM this week, aims to address this specifically by having the right seed available when necessary so it can be on the ground as soon as possible.

I have spend the last month out and about for SOS, collecting the seed from native species that may be used in these future rehabilitation projects. I can’t begin to tell you how much satisfaction this has brought me, knowing that I am directly contributing to better rehabilitation. It was also an incredible “from the ground up” learning experience for me, watching the phenology of a plant from start to finish, learning the morphology at each stage, and waiting for that perfect moment to pluck the fruit from the plant.

There is a peacefulness to discover in the forest. A silence that descends when the canopy hides you from the world. A cooling of the blood as the fire of the city is replaced with the dew dappling the understory.

There is healing waiting at the sea. Pain released with the tide as it pulls away from the shore. Sins are washed away twice daily, a newly altered landscape revealed.

Camping at Buck Creek, along the Lost Coast Trail.

I was fortunate enough to attend the National Native Seed Conference in Santa Fe this month, which focused on the benefits and challenges of using native plant materials in restoration. As I always do after a conference, I feel invigorated by all the new information I learned and excited to figure out how to incorporate some of the great ideas into ongoing or upcoming projects. The conference highlighted the importance of approaching restoration projects with the goal of maximizing the use of native, locally adapted plants and avoiding exotic species that may negatively alter the community composition of the site.

Maintaining or increasing local and native biodiversity should be a key goal in restoration as ecosystem functionality, resilience, and adaptability are all heavily influenced by the plant community and its interactions. Utilizing local species increases your chances of long term planting success as these populations are adapted to the local environment, show a greater fitness over time, and promote healthy ecological relationships. The Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA), chaired by the BLM, has proposed a National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration that specifically addresses the need for using native and local planting materials in all restoration projects and aims to identify the seed and research needs to implement this directive as well as develop the tools that land managers would need to achieve native restorations effectively. This strategy is a great step forward for strong science based restoration that takes into account genetics and adaptation, climate change, ecology, and phenology. The need for a strategy like this cannot be understated as our world faces massive climate changes at a rate and scale that is unprecedented, and I was pleased to be able to participate in a planning workshop regarding it at the conference.

Greetings from Arcata, CA and the Humboldt County sand dunes! I have just wrapped up my first week as a foredune conservation/rangeland monitoring intern under Jennifer Wheeler at the Bureau of Land Management, and what a week it was. In seven days I had my first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge as my plane landed from Canada, my first drive up the famous California coastline, my first chance to botanize in a sand dune ecosystem (Yes, I made botany a verb), and my first time judging an elementary school science fair. It couldn’t have been more fun!

The BLM of Arcata is responsible for the conservation and management of more than 200,000 acres of land in Northern California, including the unique dune system that makes up the coastline of Humboldt County. I jumped right in to this sandbox after a bit of bureaucratic orientation and spent everyday at a new monitoring site, learning the flora and performing transect monitoring. Though European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria) and Ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis) are a continuous menace to the native species, the level of restoration that the BLM, in concert with their partners, has managed to achieve is a bright beacon of hope in the sometimes dark world of ecosystem conservation. I was thrilled to see the amount of diversity (over thirty species in one transect!), curious to see the effect of the competition between the natives and the invasives, and enamored with the two special status endemic plants, the Humboldt County wallflower (Erysimum menziesii ssp. eurekense) and beach layia (Layia carnosa). These charismatic little guys are a conservation priority and their persistence in this damaged and ever changing system is in large part due to the ongoing restoration efforts of the BLM.

Jennifer Wheeler at the Samoa Dunes site

Humboldt County Wallflower (Erysimum menziesii ssp. eurekense)

While I could have happily spent the entire week on the beach, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a judge for the local science fair. Over 130 students from fourth grade through high school participated, with the winners advancing to county and state fairs. The curiosity and ingenuity displayed by the students was a colourful and fun reminder of why we all got into science. Who hasn’t wondered which type of fruit will fly the furthest?! A sense of wonder, anticipation of the unexpected, the thrill of a discovery. These are the simple things that we must nurture to form our future scientists and they’re the things that the most fortunate of us retain through our entire career. I for one plan to approach my entire summer with this mentality!

This student understands that good science is accessible to the general public.

This student wants to inform the public and improve our health with her science.

This student who appreciates the cost of science!