August has come and gone on the Beaverhead-Deer Lodge National Forest and has been filled with a number of new and continuing projects. Rare plant monitoring in Maxville Montana has continued as we search for rare species of Botrychium, Agoseris, and Erythranthe. Whitebark Pine surveys have continued through August, however we have begun transitioning away from Whitebark Pine and more towards our rare plant species.

Seed collection is in full swing as we begin to collect the desired species of our forests. Some of the species that have been collected so far include Berberis repens, Geum macrophyllum, Festuca campestris, Gaillardia aristata, Pershia tridentata, Geranium viscosissimum and Phacelia hastata.

This month I had the privilege of joining the wildlife crew for a field day working on lynx habitat monitoring. Using points generated by a habitat model, we hiked to different locations and used a coverboards to determine habitat viability as well as looked for sign of lynx prey species.

Some fun wildlife encounters from this month have included white-tail and mule deer, columbia-spotted frogs, garter snakes, and some interesting looking cyanobacteria.

A new project that I was able to participate in was lichen monitoring. The Montana Natural Heritage Program has plots set out for monitoring on a decade long cycle where species classification and prevalence are determined for the area. This monitoring research is going towards habitat and air quality as lichens are a determining factor in air quality in certain environments.

Pollinator surveys have continued with a hike up to Goat Flats in hopes of capturing some high-altitude bees in subalpine regions of the Beaverhead-Deer Lodge National Forest. Aside from the amazing view this experience was particularly memorable since the crew got caught in a lighting and hailstorm that left us soaking wet and high-tailed for the truck.

August has been filled with inclement weather as Montana transitions from extreme heat to extreme storms. Fires continue to rage in Montana and all around the Beaverhead-Deer Lodge National Forest caused by both human activity and lightning storms that have been raging through the state.

July has flown by on the Beaverhead-Deer Lodge National Forest. Among the many projects planned for the field season I have been able to participate in rare plant monitoring, pollinator surveys, moth surveys, and scouting for seed collection sites to name a few.

This month has been filled with wildlife encounters of all shapes and sizes such as reptiles, amphibians, birds, deer, and much more. To kick off the month, we encountered some pikas up in the subalpine reaches of the Gravley Mountains after doing some White Bark Pine monitoring. During a pollinator survey up the Twin Lakes trailhead, I came pretty close to a large black bear meandering through the trees. The final wildlife highlight of the month was encountering a young bull moose while on our way to do rare plant monitoring in Maxville.

The Forest Service has partnered with a few different organizations in order to fill in the gaps of Montana pollinators including Montana State University, Bumble Bee Atlas, and the Montana Moth Project. Pollinator collections can get pretty competitive at times as people race to get the most bees. Both live and lethal collection techniques have been used.

The Beaverhead-Deer Lodge National Forest has several rare plant species including the federally endangered White Bark Pine. This has opened up many opportunities for the Botany Crew to do monitoring and assessments of rare plant species including White Bark Pine, Lemhi Penstemons, and Botrychium to name a few. During one of the White Bark Pine assessments, I was lucky enough to see the massive wildflower bloom that happens in the Gravley Mountain Range every year.

Seed collection is just right around the corner as many of the target seed collections for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge are starting to go to seed. Several scouting trips have been made in preparation for collections for Geranium viscosissimum, Festuca campestris, Glyceria, Lupinus argentus, Penstemon albertinus, and Gaillardia aristata to name a few. Collections should start very soon!