This plant was one member of the new population of blowout penstemon we found.

As I approach the end of this internship, I thought now would be a good time to reflect on  new perspectives I’ve gained working here at the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (the Natural Heritage program for the state). Most of the field work that I’ve been doing this summer has been combing sand dunes searching for Penstemon haydenii, a threatened perennial forb, and Elymus simplex var. luxurians, an endemic grass. Both grow in sand dune habitats, but so far we have not found that their ranges overlap. Spending so much time in one specific habitat has really tuned me on to not just the plants that grow in this type of ecosystem, but also the animals that are here. My mentor and I, in an effort to help out the invertebrate biologist we work with, collected beetles that have never been documented in this part of the state. We also noticed some toads crossing the dunes the morning after a rainstorm. We took pictures and it turns out that these toads are a species of concern as well; the data we took will be valuable for herpetologists here. I have very much enjoyed working with so many knowledgeable biologists who are willing and excited to talk about their areas of expertise and lend a hand in others’ projects when they can. Sand dune environments often harbor species of concern – opening my eyes to the animal species of concern has made this an even richer experience. Although plants are still absolutely the most interesting part of the ecosystem for me, I am seeing the value in being well-rounded. There is so much land out there and so few biologists to cover it, we’ve got to help each other out.

I’ve had an excellent time in this internship and would absolutely recommend this program to anyone interested in getting into the field of botany or natural resources.

Wetland in the middle of sand dunes. The endemic grass we were searching for growing around it.

Spadefoot toad, about to bury itself in the sand.

Elk on the dunes.

Having just completed our perennial data plots last week to characterize community composition and distribution of shrubs in the Ft Irwin area (where the Desert Tortoise is being relocated off expanding army lands), we’ve started a similar study on Mojave Ground Squirrel habitat last week. Although the Mojave Ground Squirrel is an elusive creature (making estimates of population size difficult), it is currently under review to be listed under the Endangered Species Act due to loss of habitat and habitat degradation. This is easy enough for us to understand as we drive through areas in their range which have been decimated due to off-road vehicle use allowing invasives such as Russian Thistle to take over these disturbed sites. Even in such areas rodent holes are prevalent and sometimes make getting to our study plots difficult since one wrong step on top of their intricate underground burrows could lead to one foot buried knee deep in sand. The other day my field partner Heiki stepped accidentely into one of these burrows and ended up with a bewildered Kangeroo Rat riding on his bootlaces for several seconds. No sign of the Mojave Ground Squirrel although they tend to hibernate when food is scarce from August to March. It’s possible that we have seen a few dashing ahead of our vehicles on back roads but since there are so many rodents in the Mojave and since none of us are self proclaimed rodent experts, we have no idea which ones they are. In several weeks we’re camping in Death Valley National Park in order to gather perennial data. Not looking forward to the heat (which may be unbearable mid-August) but I am looking forward to spending some time in this very beautiful and dramatic landscape. We’ll bring lots and lots of water!
Thats all for now.

Cheerio
Nora Talkington

Now at the end of July, the desert moves from lush green to brown and beige, and I’ve been drinking more water every day than I ever have before. Water never tasted so good until I moved here. The dry heat is really what challenges me, but I am slowly seeing myself be able to handle longer days working outside with no problem, and even with pleasure. Seed collecting is somehow really therapeutic and satisfying, and gives me plenty of time to think about how great this job is and to find elk droppings and see badgers and explore the strange geology of the area. My love for the great basin over the past month or so has deepened tremendously.  In a place that, at first, seems so simple and so homogenous, new things keep popping up at us all the time. First of all, this is embarrassing, but I did not know there were badgers in the western united states! Secondly, I had always just thought of grasses as these simple undifferentiated organisms that didn’t have as much personality as other plants. Now, the ones that we see and collect are becoming a whole new world to me, full of grasses that are as cute as bunnies and as beautiful as the redwoods. I am learning so much every day and finally beginning to feel at home in Lake County, OR. Also, time is moving much too fast. Slow down, summer!

Lisa VanTieghem

Lakview BLM

Crack-in-the-Ground

Big Rock in the Middle of Nowhere