Lookout point in the field

The first month of my internship at the Coos Bay BLM has flown by and we’ve accomplished our goal of completing our training and being able to function on our own in the field.  Nathan Reese and I are taking roadside noxious weed data on BLM and private roads that lead into BLM land, as well as recording road data such as new roads or unsafe road conditions. We have been inventorying for noxious weeds on our own since Thursday June 7th and it’s been going very well. The biggest challenge we are facing is road conditions.  Many roads are overgrown and difficult to drive down or to turn around in, but we are improving our ability to gauge whether a road is driveable or should be driven down in a government vehicle without scratching or otherwise damaging it.  Most of the noxious weeds we are encountering in the field are Scotch and French broom, Himalayan blackberry, evergreen blackberry, Canada thistle and bull thistle.  We record the data on a GPS Trimble device using NISIMS (National Invasive Species Information Management Systems), including information such as the species name and percent cover within a 0.10 acre plot of land. This weed data will be used when the BLM contracts out for herbicide spraying next year.

Besides collecting noxious weed data, I have had some fantastic opportunities to work with other BLM employees in this district. One day I was able to help out a crew that was placing a barrier line on a public beach where there is a population of federally threatened Snowy Plover shorebirds nesting. I helped by standing in the back of the truck and pushing this giant spool of cord that was then tied around posts along the beach, so that the public knows not to encroach on the area.  We saw several Snowy Plovers while we were driving along. On another day, I was able to help one of the BLM botanists here with a project to augment the population of a rare coastal dune plant called silvery Phacelia (Phacelia argentea) at Floras Lake, a freshwater lake right next to the Pacific Ocean and a hotspot for kitesurfers. We planted over 300 plants that the contractor, a botanist from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, had grown in a greenhouse at Oregon State University.  It was a great opportunity to learn about this rare species, help in the effort to improve its chances in the wild, and work with such knowledgeable people. Many coastal plant species and the wildlife that depend on them are threatened because of European beachgrass, a noxious weed that creates dense thickets along the beach and has changed the topography of coastal habitat in this area. I have also been able to go out with the spotted owl surveying crew again and took some photos of the male owl that came down and feasted on the mice we fed him, verifying that he and his mate are not nesting this year.

Western Spotted Owl

On weekends I enjoy exploring the variety of trails and hiking opportunies in the area, and have been lucky enough to spend a weekend in the Coastal redwoods, about 4 hours south of Coos Bay in California.

Shore Acres State Park

Shore Acres

This month I collected a threatened plant for the herbarium collection I am starting at the BLM Lander, WY field office. I collected one Yermo xanthocephalus, the desert yellowhead, whose only natural population(s) in the world exists here in Fremont County, WY (and yes, I did obtain a permit from USFWS to do this, as is required). I felt real bad about digging up the plant and pressing it, but I keep reminding myself that this if for scientific reference material and many people will be able to observe this plant now without disturbing the population.

Midway through June it’s finally beginning to feel like summer is truly here, especially now that I’ve managed to have several full field days. Last month I put on my environmental educator hat and helped out with a few projects outside of the botany realm I normally work in – first by leading a group of Junior High students through a series of activities to monitor water quality, and then a few weeks later by helping to prepare a poster and presentation about sage-grouse for a Migratory Bird Day walk. It was fun to work on something different, and great to introduce some young(er) people to how much fun field work can be.

Greater Sage-grouse Tail. Photo by Dan Dzurisin, Licensed through Creative Commons 3.0

After these interesting non-botany projects, I also got to start in on the 2012 field season plant work. We put in a few new plots and read old plots to monitor Astragalus debequaeus, Penstemon grahamii, Physaria obcordata, and Physaria congesta. It’s been a dry year in Colorado, so the Astragalus debequaeus especially seems to be struggling, but we’re hopeful that they’ll bounce back next year. That monitoring was particularly interesting, because A. debequaeus is a new species for me. The others were fun, in familiar scenery and with some familiar faces that I met during the monitoring trips last year.

Finally, Darnisha, the new CLM intern in our office, arrived this week. This means that we have a great excuse to begin SOS, and have been out scouting. We’ve identified several nice looking populations, and are hopeful that this will be a good collection year.

Hooray summer!

Sama Winder
BLM CO State Office

The modoc sucker is a smaller member of the sucker family. It lives in montane streams in a veriety of habitat–from silty meadering marshes to steep canyon streams. These are two habitats that are very interesting to navigate at 2:00 in the morning–when we were doing our surveys. Jane Fonda’s workouts have nothing on walking up a  pine-needle-covered canyon wall in felt bottom boots and waders. If anybody out there is looking for a weight loss plan I’ve found it!

The good news, other than a great cardio session, is that we saw lots of suckers!  From now on I am going to do my fishing at midnight. You could almost pick up the fish, they were so still. We also saw many large tasty looking trout. To all the fishermen out there–do your stream recon at night and you will be sure to find some great fishing holes. As far as suckers go, this is kind of a Cinderella story. This is a species that may potentially be downlisted, so it is great to see their populations stabilize, occupying in many cases full reach of their available habitat…however inaccessible that habitat may be.

This past month has flown by in the Modoc. Already I cannot believe all of the incredible opportunities that have been afforded me. I am already growing very fond of the expansive skies and open spaces of this ruggedly beautiful area. Every day I am discovering something new and appreciating more about this place.

Last weekend I went camping a mere 14 miles up from where I live at Mill Creek Campground near Clear Lake. Several of the CLM interns from Lakeview, OR BLM joined us up there and we all enjoyed the quiet beauty surrounding us- and some campfires and smores as well! We went hiking around the lake while pausing to study various plant species and discuss similarities and differences between our field work.

Just this last week my partner Joe and I traveled to Lava Beds National Monument, where we stayed and worked for the entire week. The first day we attended a California Phenology Project workshop, which was fascinating. Phenology is the study of seasonal or bio-logical changes such as leafing out, flowering, pollination, seeding and animal migration. According to the California Phenology Project’s website,

“The phenological status of plants and animals across the seasons is very dynamic and is closely linked to climatic and ecological variables. Consequently, tracking the phenology of plants and animals is a compelling way in which to study how living systems are functioning in response to climate variability and, over the long-term, to climate change.

The CPP is initially focusing on plants in seven pilot parks,encompassing desert, coastal and mountain areas, and building upon existing monitoring protocols and programs of project collaborators. However, project products and infrastructure are being designed to support monitoring and educational activities for 18 California NPS units and parks in adjacent states.”

For more information on this awesome project or how to get involved go to http://www.usanpn.org/cpp/

Learning about this Phenology Project was great because it is something that we do everyday- looking at many different species of plants in their various stages. For instance, back at the BLM lands near Alturas Joe and I are finding many of the species of plants we plan on collecting seeds from are nearly ready. It is so exciting to see the grasses ripening and flowers giving way to fruit. When we get back from attending the CLM Workshop in Chicago we will have many ready to collect!