The last day of field work for my CLM internship in Grants Pass, OR brought me back to working with the rare, endangered lily Fritillaria gentneri, which could be considered the centerpiece of my entire internship (trust that you don’t want to hear the rest of my metaphor comparing this internship to Thanksgiving dinner). Only this time, instead of just searching for the lilies and entering data about populations of them, we were digging up their bulbs! All you botanists may be up in arms at that last part, but sit back down in your chairs because we were digging for a good purpose. The clonal reproduction of F. gentneri results in a number of smaller bulblets that can be found attached to its main, “mother” bulb. Every year, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) identifies F. gentneri plants in the spring that it then collects bulblets from later in the summer. These bulblets are brought back to the ODA’s greenhouses to be cultivated. After about three years in the greenhouse, the plants are ready to be brought back to the wild. They are usually planted in about the same general area that the bulblets were sourced from. These outplantings help augment populations of this rare plant and are imperative to bringing it closer to recovery.

Digging up one of the rarest plant I’ve worked with was nerve-wracking at first, but Kelly and Cameron from the ODA helped me get over it. The bulblets were very small, most were the size of rice grains, and they popped right off the main bulb. I wish I had taken pictures because they were quite adorable, but we were digging among poison oak roots and I didn’t want to get my camera covered in the oils.

This experience brought me closer to coming full circle with Fritillaria gentneri. This whole internship has opened my eyes to the world of endangered plants that I had previously known so little about, the overall message being that a LOT of work goes into trying to help these species recover. Surveying for new populations, revisiting old sites for monitoring, growing new plants for augmentation, adaptive habitat management to protect populations from threat, research, regulations, reports and more paperwork, an incredible amount of time and money, all for a single species!

I’ve learned so much about rare plant conservation, but also a lot about how the BLM operates. I’ve worked with botanists who have provided insight into what it would be like to have their jobs. This experience has shown me what working for the BLM would be like, and after this summer, I could easily see myself enjoying a permanent botany position with the BLM or another government agency.

I’ve really had such an amazing time working as a CLM intern, and I don’t think I could have asked for a better internship experience. I’m so grateful for all the opportunities afforded to me through this internship and for the lasting connections I’ve been able to make. Thanks especially to my awesome mentor Stacy, my super supervisor Biker Bryan, and my favorite fellow intern Lillie.

Kiki, Grants Pass BLM

Since the majority of what we’ve been doing is office work that is not terribly exciting to write (or read) about, I am devoting this blog post to our field day today. I am also devoting this blog to my fellow intern/life friend Lillie, and the title is in reference to her favorite song/catchphrase.

The sweet sounds of Drake’s “Views” played in our ears for the millionth time (Pennington, 2016). We drove out to the site that would be our last FRGE site revisit. Our mission: to determine the tree and shrub cover and plant association at said site. Today was supposed to be cooler, in the 80s, unlike most of the ninety-something degree days we’ve been having. We parked off the site of the road, slathered on sunscreen, and set off. The route we were taking put us close to private land at times, and at one point early on, some folks nearby were absolutely blasting Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. Somewhat bizarre, but very appreciated.

As we bushwhacked through buckbrush and manzanita, we stopped to smell the spicy celery aroma of Lomatium triternatum seeds.

The ground has turned mostly brown, the madrone bark is peeling to reveal its true colors, and the poison oak is starting to turn shades of red, yellow, or pink.

The hike to the site feels familiar (we have indeed done it not too long ago), but not so familiar that we aren’t constantly checking our GPSs. Midway through the hike, we came across a very visible deer blind that any deer would surely notice. Further on we found some scattered lawn chairs.

Even further on, what looked like an abandoned truck on BLM land that had the registration on the front seat.

Sometimes we find weird stuff. Sometimes we do weird stuff with the normal stuff we find. Like what Lillie did to this poor bunch of Ponderosa pine needles.

At the site itself we found the skeletons of FRGE past, with seeds inside that likely would not create more FRGE (since it’s more of an asexual reproducer).

Going back to an old FRGE site gave us nostalgia for hiking around in an area we have only come to know in the past few months. Every field day is looked back upon with sentimentality. Even the most challenging days hold treasured memories.

After hiking back to the truck, two sheepish doggies greeted us and let us give them pets. We drove back to the office with the realization that days like today would not happen again this field season. But at least we’ll be in Fort Lauderdale for the ESA Conference next week (!!!).

Kiki, Grants Pass Interagency Office

We have moved on from revisiting rare plant sites to check on rare plant populations to revisiting rare plant sites to collect data on woody tree and shrub cover! This is part of the project that will help me earn my M.S. from the internship-based Master’s program at Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden. My project is looking at the tree and shrub cover at Fritillaria gentneri (FRGE) sites and what plant associations make for the best FRGE habitats. It will also compare data collected in the field for tree and shrub cover to cover data collected using remote sensing.

This project also means that we are going back to many FRGE sites that we had previously visited during the internship. This seems like a silly concept at first, but it is definitely necessary. While we no longer can see the beautiful Gentner’s lillies, the trees and shrubs are still around to collect data on.

While working on this project, Lillie and I have enjoyed getting the chance to work a lot more with ArcGIS for gathering and analyzing data. We have also had to search through large cabinets filled with files for rare plant site forms with some of the necessary cover data, which we have enjoyed slightly less. The cover data is starting to come together from several sources, and it is exciting to see the progress that we have made.

In the field, the changes from the beginning of my internship to now are very noticeable. The air is hot and dry. Many plants have passed and the environment in many places appears a dead shade of brown. But there is still much beauty to be found.

The rare Calochortus greenei in a sea of Medusahead grass

Cirsium occidentale

Chocolate tube slime mold! Stemonitis sp.

Monardella villosa var. villosa (Coyote mint)

Lillie and I have gone on more adventures on our time off, and most recently we hiked up to and camped at the Devil’s Punchbowl in Northern California. The hike was very challenging with our heavy packs, but the views at the Punchbowl and along the way made it more than worth it! Definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve been able to swim at. And of course we played many games of Scrabble.

The Devil’s Punchbowl

Lillie powering up the slope by the Punchbowl’s little brother

It’s a sad inevitability that this internship is coming to an end much sooner than I’d like it to. I’m happy that I still have a few more weeks to enjoy living in Oregon.

Kiki, Grants Pass Interagency Office

We have turned the focus of our rare plant revisits from the very showy Fritillaria gentneri to the fairly inconspicuous Cypripedium fasciculatum. In Oregon, the BLM has Cypripedium fasciculatum (CYFA), commonly known as the clustered lady’s slipper, on its Sensitive Species list. A population viability model completed by the Institute for Applied Ecology for CYFA predicts that sites with 10 or fewer CYFA plants, especially those at low elevation (< 3000 feet), are more at risk for population decline. We are visiting a subset of the CYFA sites composed of 15 low elevation sites and 15 high elevation sites, all of which have 10 or fewer plants, in order to determine if what we find in the field agrees with what the model predicts.

Two especially droopy flowering Cypripedium fasciculatum

Another sad CYFA

We get to be more selective with our site choice for CYFA, so we have mostly been revisiting sites that are close to the road. For efficiency’s sake of course. The CYFA sites are often very lovely, with locations near drainages populated by Douglas-fir, madrone, mountain dogwood, western chestnut, canyon live oak, tanoak, and more. The clustered lady’s slipper can be incredibly small and easy to miss, so Lillie and I make sure to really take our time during our site visits.

While looking for CYFA, we have encountered some other cool Orchidaceae species, including two sites that have another rare lady’s slipper called Cypripedium montanum, or mountain lady’s slipper. This is an exciting find because it’s rarer and, in my opinion, more beautiful than the clustered lady’s slipper.

Cypripedium montanum

Cephalanthera austinae, the phantom orchid!

A closer look at the phantom orchid’s flower

Corallorhiza maculata

And a parasitic Ericaceae for good measure! Sarcodes sanguinea

Though most of our days involve searching for CYFA, we have also been able to get out and help with seed collecting. One day we collected seeds from Alopecurus geniculatus and Agoseris grandiflora on top of Upper Table Rock, which has got to be one of the prettier collection sites out there. Since I hadn’t collected seed before this internship, I was excited to get the opportunity to do so. My internship continues to offer new opportunities for growth, and even though I think the time is going by WAY too quickly, I’m happy that I look forward to each day of work as much as I do!

Until next time,

Kiki, Grants Pass, OR

I’m coming into my second month as an intern in Grants Pass, OR and I can’t believe how quickly the time is flying! My experience here has been rich in adventure and enjoyment, and I’m sure that there is plenty more to come.

That being said, the search for the federally threatened plant Fritillaria gentneri (FRGE) has not been all rainbows and unicorns. Lillie and I have encountered several site access problems, pulled countless ticks off of our persons, bushwhacked through miles of poison oak, and come across a juvenile rattlesnake whose rattle wasn’t developed enough to warn us. And many of the sites we revisit don’t have any flowering FRGE. Some days are tough.

Rattlesnake #2 of the season. I saw this one and ran away quickly. Lillie kept her distance, but stayed long enough to snap this picture.

With all of the hazards and frustrating situations we encounter, one might be disheartened. However, Lillie and I are not easily deterred. We face each day with determination and positivity. When our path is fraught with Ceanothus cuneatus, we battle through it. When a private road that would lead to BLM land has a gate or “No Trespassing” sign on it, we go find a different access point. And when we do find FRGE or another cool discovery, the reward makes everything worth it!

Every day provides new opportunities to learn and work on our problem solving skills. Every day also provides us with chances to view some stunning landscapes, see and learn new plant species, encounter interesting critters, and just generally enjoy each other’s company! Lillie and I are thick as thieves, and I’m really happy to have the chance to intern with someone that I like to spend time with, even when I’m not getting paid to do so. We spend our weekends hiking and exploring in the area, trying out different local restaurants, and binge-playing Scrabble.

Lillie with the lily!

Calypso bulbosa

Sometimes we get to hike to high places

Some mid-April snow at the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

The Fritillaria gentneri are going to fruit in most of the lower elevations sites, so once we revisit the higher elevation FRGE sites located in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, we will be finished working with this species. Though we did not find as many FRGE as we would have liked, it served to make each sighting all the more special and exciting. Our FRGE site revisits have provided valuable insight into which areas should be priority for visiting in the future and which areas may not be worth visiting again. That being said, I’m excited that soon we will be looking for a different rare plant.

It’s hard to say goodbye to FRGE, but it’s made easier because the fruits aren’t nearly as pretty as the flowers

-Kiki

Grants Pass Interagency Office, BLM