This will be my third winter here in the California Central Valley and so far I have yet to experience any significant precipitation.  California is in a serious drought, and currently there is no end in sight.  Climatologists are predicting another winter of less than average precipitation.  Conditions (for both plants and humans alike) are continuing to become more and more extreme, but it seems everywhere I look people are FAILING to acknowledge the gravity of the situation.  The ignorance and apathy I encounter every day in regards to these conditions is alarming.  I see irrigation systems running to irrigate non-native turf lawns ALL OVER TOWN, and, during mid day I might add.  I see excess runoff from irrigation systems and car washes running down the the street drainage for blocks and blocks.  I see people watering on days that are not allowed per the drought water restriction plan in effect throughout the city.  My own landlord was trying to tell me that I “had to” flood irrigate the lawn to keep the grass green “in accordance with the neighborhood”.  Seriously?!??????  It wasn’t until I cited city ordinances outlining the city-wide water use restrictions in effect, and called his attention to the fact that flood irrigation was currently a FINE-ABLE OFFENSE, that he finally stopped making lease violation threats.  What I’m wondering is, what is it going to take for people to realize that fresh water is a limited resource in the California ecosystem?  Honestly, I will probably not stick around long enough to find out.  Water reserves here are dwindling at an alarming rate with no predictions of recharge.

There are many cities throughout the state that are quickly running out of water (http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/08/02/cities-running-out-of-water/13443393).  In some cases, wells have been pumped dry and small communities have been forced to either pay absurd costs to have water trucked in, or relocate.  In a state like California with a 42.6 billion dollar agricultural industry (cdfa.ca.gov), you better believe that this water crisis is eventually going to be felt across the country.  Perhaps you have already been paying more for your produce; maybe even doing so unknowingly.

In my SOS collections this year I have noticed several large populations that have produced lots of seeds in years past have produced little to none this past season.  Could this be coincidental?  I doubt it.  Many of these native species have evolved genetically to be drought resistant, but even still show signs of stress in such extreme cases.  Part of my position at the Cosumnes River Preserve is managing restoration projects.   When native plants are installed for re-vegetation, drip irrigation is required in summer months for 2-3 years during the plant establishment period.  With water rights here continuing to tighten and the Department of Water Resources auditing every ounce of water pumped from the rivers and streams, I am concerned that the water we use for habitat restoration at the Preserve is eventually going to be reduced, or cut off.  People need water, our agricultural crops need water, and our environment needs water.  With a finite amount of water in the Western ecosystem, management is critical.  Would you be willing to spend more money on your groceries if you knew that by doing so water was being allocated to habitat conservation projects in California?

So far, my experience as a CLM internship has been fantastic.  It’s been the best of all worlds being out here in Wyoming! I have been to visit the Black Hills, the Tetons, and Yellowstone, I have rallied at Sturgis with the bikers, and I even had the chance to take time off and visit a friend in Jamaica! It was a nice break from the dry heat of Wyoming and I was able to see a lot of the country. I traveled everywhere from Falmouth to Montego Bay to Kingston, and finally, my favorite, Portland. I snorkeled and swam in glistening waters, ate breadfruit, and biked through historic plantations. She showed me the people and the buildings of Jamaica and it was nice to focus my attention on something other than plants for a while, even though I love them, and even though I did find myself focusing a lot of my attention on the tropical species I don’t get to see very often.

Surfers at the beach in Boston Bay, Jamaica; one of the only beaches that is really “surfable”!

Just a few of the bikes at Sturgis!

Even with all the fun times I have been having and trips I have been taking, this has also been the learning experience of a lifetime.  Each day I gain a new piece of knowledge that is helping me to make decisions for my future career.

I have so far learned to:

1)      Run an irrigation system, guage water levels, and weed the evil bind weed at Whelch

2)      Monitor rangeland health using line point intercepts and daubenmire readings

3)      Measure habitat for sage grouse suitability using sagebrush intercept and walking transects

4)      Collect a variety of different seed types, ranging from fleshy fruits to tiny grass seeds

5)      Create herbarium specimens

6)      Read soil texture

7)      Communicate with individuals in other parts of the BFO and other offices in the area

8)      Contribute ideas and knowledge to the PRBR project conducted by another intern in the BFO office

9)       Attended the Wildlife Society Conference in Sheridan, WY!

The whole group and one of the great Wildlife Biologists from our office, DON!

This past week was an exciting one, as I mailed off a majority of seed collections from our office to Bend. It was like sending my children off for their first day of school. (I think I even teared up a bit) Bend confirmed that they had arrived and that everything was in order. In total the team has collected 16 full collections of seed, but there is still more to collect! Now to collect and ship out the rest!

Just a few of the collections I packed up to be sent off to Bend Seed Extractory!

Prairie Junegrass! Probably one of my favorite collections becuase of how simple it was to collect!

Now that some of the seed has been sent to bend, I have also begun compiling and organizing the herbarium specimens to be sent to the Smithsonian. The grasses have been a pain to deal with, but I enjoy looking back at the old flowers we have collected and pressed. It’s awesome to have been able to follow full populations from flower to seeding and to have kept track of them along the way.

Winter has really started approaching quickly. The snow we received Wednesday and Thursday was brutal! A cruel joke in the form of a white blanket. Luckily, my roomies and I made the most of it using our hot tub, but being snowed into the office last week was not the most exciting thing!

Yes, It’s septemeber. And yes, this was only the beginning of snow falling.

And yes, I did pretend to be an orca and swam in Lake De Smet four days after this snow!