Unlike many of the CLM interns, I have only begun my internship.  It has been quite an experience so far.  My resource area is located on the edge of the Great Basin in northern Nevada, and it is much different than the East, where I’m originally from.  However, different doesn’t mean bad, it just means there’s more to learn, and I’ve been learning a lot.  Everyday my brain is packed with new information; new plants, new animals, new management strategies, new monitoring techniques.  I really feel like this will give me a more broad understanding of land management as I pursue my career wherever I go.

I can’t believe I’ve been here for a month already.  It’s already starting to feel like home.  Last weekend I went to the local rodeo…look’s like I’ll be a cowboy yet!

-Nick

Howdy Howdy!
I have been living in the good ol’ desert of Roswell, New Mexico now for a little over two months and the whole experience (my position within the BLM and my newer Western location) is getting even better! As for the BLM portion, the whole gang is finally here now (as the two last interns arrived a couple of weeks ago) and so we are well underway! We are a self-sufficient team that can choose, prepare, and complete range health assessments (RHAs), perform 1, 2, or 3 line monitoring along with annual production, and all the while fill out compliance checks! It is very rewarding to be able to perform the tasks that are needed! Our week consists mostly of going into the field and performing the tasks listed above which is always fun because you can never guess what is going to happen which makes every day interesting! Since my last post so many things have happened that it would be difficult to tell you all of them so instead I figured I would just show you some of the moments and experiences I captured by means of pictures!

A Great Horned Owl we saw in the field!

A grasshopper on Thistle!

Dove eggs we found underneath some Choia!

As for the daily living in Roswell, it is going splendid! This last weekend was one to remember, as it was the annual UFO Festival!!! It was great, Kelder (CLM intern from Carlsbad) came up and joined in the fun! On Saturday morning I ran in my first ever 5K called the Alien Chase whose profit benefited a local charity!  Then later that evening was the UFO Parade! I had heard so much about this and how festive everyone can get that we ran out to the store and bought some items to create our alien costumes! After 2 hours of alien costume preparations, we walked to the festival to find that we are the only people dressed up who are not in the parade! Although this did not bring us down, instead we had a BLAST taking pictures with people and by joining in at the end of the parade! And as promised I have attached some pictures of that too!

All three of us at the UFO Parade!!!

So overall, so far so good!!!
-Stephanie Burkhardt
BLM Roswell Office

When I was given the opportunity of this CLM internship and told that I would be stationed in Phoenix, AZ, I was overjoyed. I desperately wanted and needed to see and experience something other than the overly familiar northeast (as much as I do love and miss it). The visions I had of AZ before I arrived here were similar to those of “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West” that I adored as a kid; hot and dry deserts, where the extreme temperatures make you hallucinate. But what I didn’t expect was for the desert to actually grow on me, especially as quickly as it has.

As I drive out into the field each day, I actually have to remind myself that I am getting paid to drive this big, burly, intimidating 4WD truck over some gnarly territory, all the while soaking in the views of the oh-so-beautiful Bradshaw mountains. Not to mention the awesome wildlife, such as pronghorn antelope, desert mule deer, hawks, jack rabbits, and my newest favorite – the western diamondback rattlesnake!

I am stationed on the Agua Fria National Monument performing vegetation monitoring, to ensure that livestock are not overgrazing and devastating native vegetation. But for now I have mapped and logged range improvements (i.e. corrals, wells, holding tanks etc.) and performed wet/dry mapping of AZ washes (another landform that I was not so familiar with until recently).

To say that my perspectives of AZ have changed, would be the understatement of the year. I never would have expected to see precipitation in this arid region, let alone be concerned about monsoon season, when dry washes become full out flash flood zones. Being new to this area is thrilling and exciting, but the fact that I still have to much to see and experience is just as exciting!

Everyday has offered completely new learning opportunities. One day I am following cow trails to record disturbances in sensitive plant habitat, and the next day I am working with forestry and measuring trees. With all of the variety in my days, I find that I feel most fulfilled when working with the anomalies in nature. For example, my day with the forestry team involved measuring the Ponderosas growing in pj woodland. Previous research has shown that these trees are genetically different from your typical Ponderosas in that they can survive, and even thrive, in dry, desert-like habitat. For some reason, I like the idea of working among “mutants” and aiding in our understanding of them.
In addition to that, I have been monitoring threatened Physeria obcordata populations which only occur on steep white shale slopes on the 13th Tongue. I have been collecting its seeds along with seeds from a sister species for a lab at CSU. In the lab they will be growing each species in hopes to determine why Physeria obcordata populations are limited to the steep narrow bands of white shale when a very similar species is not.
Performing the somewhat monotonous task of collecting seeds becomes suddenly exciting when I acknowledge my role as essential to a new scientific discovery.

I will start with the story of the grass right behind our backs. Henry, my co-intern and I were keying out potential SOS plants we had collected to find the species out and see if they were native. We had just put down two sedges  (Schoenoplectus americanus and Schnoenoplectus maritimis) and began a long tackle on the grass we collected. Hitting many dead ends in the key and starting over in the POACEAE several times, we finally had our mentor, Sheila, come in to take a look at the unruly grass.  While she was looking in the dissecting scope, Henry pointed to a grass on a BLM native plants promotional poster that was hanging behind us in the cube.  “This foxtail barley kind of looks like our grass,” He said. We found our mistake in the key (what we thought were bristles were really glumes reduced to awns and several sterile spikelets) and where did we key it to in about 10 minutes? The foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum) on the poster! It had been staring at our backs the whole time! I know keen observation of the field surroundings is always helpful, but I am now going to be more aware of our office surroundings!

Last week we had the opportunity to go out with a couple wildlife biologist interns. We accompanied them to a site where they were monitoring pinyon jays. A group of pinyon jays had been captured and radio transmitters were attached to their tail feathers. We were tracking their signals with receiver equipment (pictured). The pinyon jay is a species of special concern in San Juan County; it is an especially important species in the local ecosystem due to its symbiotic relationship with the pinyon pine. It was really cool to see the different kind of “hands on” approach wildlife biologists use to monitor species. As a botanist, I appreciate being able to get up close and personal with the species I am studying.

We picked up the signal for one bird- the range is about 100 feet

Last week we also made our first Seeds of Success (SOS) collections in conjunction with Native Plant Materials Collection. Andrea and Alicia from the Chicago Botanic Garden were visiting Farmington and we helped them collect Plantago patagonica, Heterotheca villosa, Descurainia pinnata. It was helpful to have the SOS training workshop prior to making an SOS collection. It also was pleasantly nostalgic to see Chicago Botanic Garden logo on the car while at our field site in New Mexico!

Plantago patagonica (about 1 inch tall)

I have really enjoyed exploring different canyons of Northern New Mexico doing SOS scouting and collecting. I am looking forward to using my comp time to do some canyoneering in Canyonlands of Southern Utah over the 4^th of July weekend. Hope to run into some other CLM interns!

Deidre Conocchioli

BLM- Farmington District Office

One aspect I love about my internship is that interesting projects constantly emerge. In the past month, I started identifying Hawaiian lichens. It has been great to examine the flora of an area other than Florida but also challenging. Some of the species, I have no idea what genera they are- they look radically different than anything I have seen before. There is also no all inclusive key to use, so I am cobbling information from the internet, and disparate journal articles to piecemeal all the info I need. I enjoy the challenge, and I’m learning a lot more by searching for information.

In the past year, the National Science Foundation awarded numerous grants to herbaria around the United States to digitize their plant and lichen records. This past week at Boise State University, workers began digitizing lichens. I helped with the training, and will answer questions about lichen curation and the herbarium for the duration of my internship. It is exciting to witness and assist with this project. As a future graduate student, I know I will benefit from this data.

I collected seeds for Seeds of Success. Unfortunately it is a dry year in southeast Idaho, and there aren’t many opportunities to collect seeds. Recently, I went on a camping adventure into the Owyhee mountains to search for seeds. Nestled in the mountains is a former mining city called Silver City, population 27. One of my coworkers remarked that I would be the first person from Miami, FL to see Silver City. Shortly after arriving , a local asked where I was from and I replied “Miami.” It turns out she was also from Miami! What an ironic world! Below are pictures of Silver City and the Owyhee Mountains.

Barry Kaminsky

BLM- Idaho State Office

One aspect of my internship that I’ve grown to appreciate most is exploring areas where I might not have considered hiking on my free time. Frequently our work involves hiking not only off-trail, but up rugged, steep terrain that doesn’t always look particularly appealing from the bottom.

A few weeks ago, another intern and I surveyed the area around Table Rock for a listed species of Cymopteris. This plant prefers the jagged and rough habitat of basalt rocks. After bushwhacking through sage brush to the base of a steep basaltic cliff, similar to much of what encircles the northern and eastern sides of Table Rock, we found the edge of a previous survey site. Looking up, we could see a few plants growing out of the cliff face towering over us, and so began our ascent to count and map plants. This population ended up spreading out quite a bit over surrounding rocks and boulders, which meant that we were able to spend a couple of days climbing, carefully balancing, and peering over cliff sides to ensure an accurate count. Oftentimes, I found myself thinking of mountain goats or bighorn sheep naturally maneuvering along the craggy rocks while I awkwardly edged along a boulder.

More recent assignments have brought us to spaces further east that very few people drive to, let alone hike around. Cows and antelope seem to be the dominate residents. In surveying for a few different listed species, we have climbed steep pumice hills and edged along the incline as we count plants. Slippery silt and loose rocks can make hiking in these micro habitats difficult, but we are also able to see plants unique to these areas that I would not have seen from afar. Because of the long drive to some of these locations, we were also able to camp in the area for the week. We watched a gorgeous sunset while cooking dinner on the summer solstice.

Spending time in places that people don’t go to a lot, and that I probably wouldn’t pick as my first choice for a hike, makes those places seem more adventurous and special.

Are you sure Lakeview, Oregon’s motto isn’t “the windy city”? I have seen nothing but wind and rain since I returned from the training workshop….I’m thinking somebody made a mistake.

Other than the crazy Summer weather, things are great here in Lakeview. This week is “Safety Week” which means another full week of training and lectures. I know these things must be done to keep us safe and informed, so I am continuing to fuel myself with really strong coffee in order to power through. Trainings are not as plush here in Lakeview as they were at the Garden. I haven’t seen a single sandwich or candy bowl all week. 🙂 So far, I have learned the importance of employment equality and also First Aid basics. The rest of the week consists of a “Grass Class” which is two days of learning everything there is to learn about grasses of eastern Oregon and the Great Basin. I am super excited for this because I know it will help my plant I.D. skills tremendously. Sorry Joe, I will take notes for you. The “Driving Rodeo” will round up the end of Safety Week. The instructor says he is going to force us to reverse a manual truck for 10 miles down a dirt road….I hope he is joking.

I was able to take a break from Safety Week to go out into the field with the rare plant surveying crew. We were looking for a rare species of Buckwheat, Eriogonum prociduum, which only exists in a small part of Oregon and California. It grows on dry, pumice slopes with a lot of bare ground and within low-sage habitats. Unfortunately, the population seems to have declined since the last study in 2005, and no new recruits were being established. It was still nice to get some rare plant monitoring experience under my belt and also to see some new snow on the ground.

I hope everyone made it home safe from the workshop!

Prostrate buckwheat

I finished up school in Illinois in May. Shortly there after I moved to Carson City Nevada. The desert is certainly very different from the lush forest of Southern Illinois or the Oak Savannas of Chicagoland. While I certainly miss the big trees of my home state, I am learning to appreciate the natural beauties of Nevada. So far I have seen some cool looking Eriogonum and Poppies. My crew has been doing a lot of post-fire monitoring which I like because it really improves my plant identification skills and gives me more experiencing mapping and using GIS. Everyone I work with is very friendly and interesting. My mentor has also been very helpful and is extremely knowledge about our local environment. I am excited and curious about what  the future holds for the next five months!

• Destination:  Rock Springs, WY
• Mission:  Seeds of Success
• Mood:  Enthusiastic

     Standing beneath the midnight stars at a rest stop in the Bonneville Salt Flats after hastily constructing a bed accross the passenger seat of my car I had more time to consider what may lie beyond the horizon, both literally and figuratively…mostly figuratively.

     Yes, there would be plenty of sagebrush in southwestern Wyoming.  Everyone knows that, right?  But what else would be waiting for me in this new, dry land–this wild arena of mystery and vastness that would become my home for the next five months?

     I envisioned an endless swath of flat desert, dotted with solitary hills and lonely roads disappearing into the unknown.  Rock Springs itself sounded like the kind of rough and tumble town you’d stop in for the evening to tie up your horse and hang your hat after a long day’s ride through the great, American steppe.

     Upon arrival it became clear that whatever changes this adventure held in store for me would be welcomed and explored with curiosity and patience.  Indeed, Rock Springs bears little resemblance, physically or in cultural atmosphere, to Berkeley, CA, from where I began this journey, but I foresee the myriad differences serving to foster in me an attitude of excitement and acceptance, a proclivity toward adaptation.

     Rock Springs is beautiful.  I am happy to be out of my comfort zone and in a new land full of opportunity.  Opportunity to explore the West, to meet new people, to see new things and to see things anew.  My time with the BLM is still in its infancy; I’ve been here only a couple weeks and have yet to really delve into my internship.  But I’ve definitley enjoyed the days I’ve spent in the field so far.

Lots of space, lots of wildlife, lots of wind, lots of trucks, lots of outdoor recreation, lots of friendly folk.   “Oh Yes, Wyoming!”

-Chris McCoy

Botany Joke of the Month:  What’s a sheep’s favorite flower?

Answer:  Phlox!