As I put field books back on their shelves, make neat piles of vouchers in the lab, clean out my filthy backpack, and get rid of useless papers that have accumulated on my desk, I think back to all the amazing places I have seen, wonderful people I have worked with, and all of the botanical knowledge I have gained over the past 15 months.  This internship really helped me shape where I want to go in the future.  It has helped me focus on what I want to pursue in the form of a career and has inspired me to go to back to school and earn my master’s in biology.  I will be attending Humboldt State University this fall to pursue a degree focusing on insect community ecology with an emphasis on plant relationships.  I have always had a strong interest in insects, but it wasn’t until this internship, where I obtained so much information about botany, that I realized that the greater ecological role they play in plant cycles is something I wanted to study further.

Good luck to all of you with whatever you choose to pursue next.

-Mason London

I’m still fairly new here but I’m starting to feel very comfortable with my new position. Over the past 6 weeks working for the West Eugene Wetlands BLM office I’ve gained a lot of botanical survey experience and have learned to identify many new species!

Lupinus oreganus

Although nearly all of the areas we perform rare plant surveys are within Eugene’s urban industrial complex, it’s amazing how many native plants still exist despite daunting anthropogenic pressures. In the past weeks I have spent many hours talking a census of Lomatium bradshawii, Lupinus oreganus, and Erigeron decumbens at all of our project sites.

Some of these populations are natural and others have been planted for restoration purposes. Most recently I have been working on monitoring and weeding a particularly successful installation of Erigeron decumbens  [pictured below].

Erigeron decumbens installation

Despite the monumental task of keeping this site weeded and counting each flower (yes you read that right) it was still exciting to see these plants thriving. Unfortunately, there are few examples of rare plant installations in the Willamette Valley that are this successful.

In order to track changes in species composition at many of our project sites, I assisted with low intensity monitoring. At each site we estimated percent cover at many randomly placed 1-meter square plots. In many cases each one-meter-square plot contained on average 10-15 different species. In some of the most diverse plots we found more than 25 different species!

Species composition monitoring plot

By monitoring species diversity and abundance in this way, it is possible to identify potentially problematic weed infestations and also allows the BLM to quantify the effects of management practices like prescribed burning and mowing on their sites. Doing these surveys introduced me to more than a dozen non-native prairie species and refreshed my knowledge of an equal number of native species. I’m excited to continue to hone my skills as a botanist in the upcoming months of this internship!

Here I am, wrapping up my first week of training as a CLM intern for the North Carolina Botanical Garden.  My college training and first botany jobs were all on the west coast, mainly in Washington state, so I’m so happy to have this opportunity to get to know more of the Southeastern flora.  My crew will be working primarily on the coastal plain of North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, collecting seeds to be used for conservation projects as a part of the BLM Seeds of Success Program.

The boardwalk through the Coastal Plain Habitat Garden at NCBG

Although I have been living in the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, for the past several months, this week brought me to Chapel Hill (and the Piedmont) for the first time, and I’ve been getting acquainted with the beautiful NC Botanical Garden and all the plants (and dedicated staff) showcased there.  I’ve been paying special attention to the Coastal Plain Habitat Garden, as it holds many species that I’ll likely become very familiar with over the next few months.  Luckily, my mentor Amanda is finishing up her master’s thesis on the coastal plain flora, so she will certainly be a great teacher and resource in that area.

This week was dedicated to Seeds of Success (SOS) training, and we got together with the other eastern crews working on the project, from New York and New England.  Together we’ve all been going over the SOS protocol and learning a bit of introductory plant I.D. and genetics to guide us in our work.  The past two days, we had the privilege to get out into the field and make our first two seed collections of Glyceria striata (fowl mannagrass) and Zephyranthes atamasca (Atamasco lily).  It was satisfying to actually get some seeds in our hands and going through the process has me looking forward to more field work.

seeds of Atamasco lily (Zephyranthes atamasca) being spread out to dry

It was a great experience to meet a group of like-minded interns right off the bat this week, and now I am anticipating getting to know my own NCBG crew a little better.  Of course, as a certifiable plant nerd, I am also pretty excited to learn about new species, visit some of the area herbaria, and start collecting seeds.  This is really a fantastic opportunity to do important and fulfilling work and I don’t plan to waste a minute of it.  Until next time, peace outside.

Emily Driskill

CLM Intern, North Carolina Botanical Garden

Rain pounds against the windows of my new home – a double-wide trailer on a farm in Burns, Oregon. I’ve just returned from a long day of fishing, mushroom hunting, and gun shooting (some of our coworkers were kind enough to immerse us interns in the Burns way of life). The rain is much needed, as the area is in the midst of a four-year drought. Burns is located in sagebrush country, an ecosystem typical of the high, intermountain deserts of the West, and a far cry from the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” that I’m accustomed to. In a region already ravaged by wildfires, the drought has only intensified the issue. Therefore, the BLM began the Emergency Stabilization & Rehabilitation (ESR) program to combat the damage done by the fires. One of my primary duties as an intern this summer will be to perform vegetation surveys to monitor the progress of the rehab program.

Fire damage in Malheur National Forest.

All of the morels we found!

I have officially completed my first week as an intern for the Burns BLM, my very first post-college job – yay! The three other interns and I spent the week doing various training activities. On Tuesday we completed defensive driving and four wheel drive training (necessary for the rough roads out here). On Wednesday and Thursday we got to go out in the field and practice the point intercept and Pace 180° methods for vegetation sampling. Our coworkers gave us a run down on the ecosystem, the wildfires, and the local flora. So far, it seems as though there isn’t all that much plant diversity, with sagebrush (three subspecies of A. tridentata), several bunch grasses (e.g. F. idahoensis, P. secunda, A. thurberianum), and the occasional juniper tree (J. occidentalis) accounting for the majority of species.

One of the 20 density plots we do at each site.

On Friday we did a self-guided tour through Harney County to familiarize ourselves with the immense area managed by the Burns BLM. The district covers 3.36 million acres of public land in addition to large areas of private, Federal, and State lands – a daunting task for a new intern! As we drove, the landscape alternated between farmland, rangeland, and endless sagebrush, all framed by the Steens Mountains. The vastness of land out here is truly awe-inspiring; I have never seen so much open space. A highlight of the day was seeing a mama Great Horned Owl and her three babies, and listening to them hoot back and forth to each other.

Mother owl staring me down.

Wetlands here are few and far between.

Overall, I’m very excited for the five months I have in Burns. Everyone I’ve met has been extremely nice, the district is beautiful, and there are lots of animals on the farm to play with (including two adorable, friendly cats). Here’s to the adventures that lay ahead!

Enjoying a sunset on the farm after work.

Austin Yantes

Burns District BLM

Welcome to Sulfur Canyon! An area carved out by time and grazed by cattle in various areas… So majestic!!! ^_^

Welcome to Central Washington! A land carved out by the mighty Missoula floods 13,000-15,000 years ago. The landscape of sagebrush and basalt may look a little hostile, but with a closer look you can see this area is rich in life and diversity! Our journey takes us to an area called Sulfur Canyon. This land was named after some of the hot springs located in the region. Small ravines are found all over the landscape. These areas provide shelter and ideal growing conditions for a variety of small trees, shrubs, and many forbs. Some of the sagebrush found in the ravine have access to deep soils. This allows the sagebrush to reach heights of over six feet tall! Many deer, small mammals, birds, and rattlesnakes love to live in these small linear oases. Just be careful where you step, there is always something that might surprise you in this area…

Point and case. When you are traveling through the talus slopes or rocky areas along the streams, you may see a lot of rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis). I will name this one Big Hungry Joe.

Let us move to the top of the Sulfur Canyon area. You probably expected a vast canyon with shear drop offs, fortunately for us we only have small ravines to cross. No large canyon to pass through this time! Most of the land that covers Sulfur Canyon is called Biscuit and Swale grassland steppe. Ha, I saw that look you gave me. Yes, biscuit and swale grassland steppe. This is an unusual type of habitat. Notice how there are islands of sagebrush surrounded by lithosol soils? The “vegetative islands” contain deeper soils that allow forbs, grasses, and shrubs to easily grow in. The surrounding lithosols have very shallow, rocky soil. These areas make suitable habitat for the Washington Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus washingtoni…Genus recently changed to Urocitellus) and Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). These creatures can easily make homes in the deeper soils and form colonies that are protected by the brush vegetation above!

Some biscuit and swale range in this area. You can’t really see it, but there are lithosols and isolated pockets of tall sagebrush.

Lithosol soil with a variety of forbs and grasses! A biscuit can be seen 75 feet away.

We have been getting a large amount of rain lately, so the forbs are absolutely thriving! Let us look closely at the forbs growing in the lithosols. These types of soils are very hostile for many types of large plants to grow in, but many other plants adapted to dry, hot, rocky soils can thrive for a few weeks. As you can see, the common plants that are flowering now are Eriogonum thymoides, Lomatium macropcarpum, Lewisia rediviva, and Talinum spinescens.

Lewisia rediviva: Bitterroot!

This is amazing!!! I never seen that much bitterroot in my life! You are very lucky to see all of these plants blooming. This would make a fantastic SOS collection when they go to seed!! Extra bonus, you get to see a biscuit mound in the background!

Let us head northwards to the Grimes and Jameson Lake area. The sagebrush steppe in this area appears to be very healthy. There are some thick patches of Bromus tectorum, but overall this area contains good sage grouse territ….. (rattling intensifies)

WATCH OUT!!!! Wow! That was a close one! Another rattlesnake. O_O We will just watch our step as we make our way to the lakes…We should also call this rattlesnake, Jörmungandr.

Hey! We are next to a Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nest!! Let’s check it out! Recently, there has been a lot of golden eagle activity in the area. Both of the adult golden eagles are soaring around the area looking for food. The little white fuzzball you see is named Boo. This eaglet is about four to five weeks old and loves to walk around the nest like Godzilla. In the afternoon, one of the parents come by and shelters Boo from the harsh sun. Hopefully, this little one would grow into an adult and become successful at life.

The little fuzzball in the middle, Boo, is exploring the vast world of its nest.

By Grimes and Jameson Lake, you can see a variety of wetland wildlife. Mainly, waterfowl and yellow headed black birds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) are the most common birds to see. You may hear a Sora (Porzana carolina) or a Snipe (Gallinago delicata) if you are lucky!! One problem this wetland is facing is the amount of weeds that are found in the area. Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica), knapweed (Centaurea spp.), and various bromes are the pesky ones to control. This is a very beautiful area to look for forbs and to go fishing, but you might want to check your shoes for Bromus seeds. They love to travel! >_>;;

Yellow Headed Blackbirds found near a rural farm in the area.

Dalmatian toadflax all over the freakin’ place!! D:

One moment! Let me get the JUNO GPS system out. One of my jobs is to record locations of weeds throughout the Wenatchee Resource Area. This data collection is for the NISIMS (National Invasive Species Information Management System) project and will help with future restoration efforts. Dalmatian toadflax is not a really good plant to have around in abundance…..(rattling intensifies)

Another close call! That rattlesnake did not want us approaching its home! O_O…okay seriously let us head away from the talus slopes…

Sulfur Canyon and the surrounding region has many diverse plants and animals as you could see. The BLM in Wenatchee are making efforts to promote sage grouse restoration  and to reduce long term grazing. The area that we are in is going through a few range land health evaluations to help with the assessment of the overall area. In the future, we are hoping that rare animals like the pygmy rabbit, greater sage grouse and the Washington ground squirrel will thrive here and spread to parallel allotments to increase their populations.

BLM Legends reviewing range land health guidelines in order to help write various future reports.

I hope you enjoyed this short tour of Sulfur Canyon! See you next time!

And now….. Your Moment of Zen….

How People View BLM Land In Washington

Wenatchee SOS!!!

Recently, I had the fantastic opportunity to help Reed with SOS collections! I got to collect various plant seed from species that were on a special list. There were four species of plant seed that we were after. Hooker’s Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza hookeri), bigseed biscuitroot (Lomatium macrocarpum), nine leaf lomatium (Lomatium triternatum), and a lupine species! One of the main areas to collect seed was the Badger Mountain/ Duffy Creek Region! For many hours, we would scan the lithosols for ideal seed collection locations. The balsamroot was easy to collect from, but you had to be careful not to launch the seed when picking the seed head. The lomatiums were pretty tricky and would scatter everywhere when you try to grab them! That was why you gently grab the lomatium umbels and tap the seed into the collection bags. We had a full collection of Hooker’s balsamroot today!! We collected a good sample of the rest of the SOS plants in the area as well. Reed would return and finish the collecting after the CLM training. Hopefully, I will have more chances to help Reed out in the future!

A bag full of dried Hooker’s balsamroot flower heads. About 30-45 seeds per head.

Hey!! There are some seeds in this one! ^_^

I made a new friend when seed collecting! It did not want to leave my warm hand. Its name was Ms.Nibblesworth.

NISIMS: Attack on Invasives!

NISIMS is an acronym for National Invasive Species Information Management System. One of our jobs we had this summer was to go to many BLM sites and record weed dispersion. Some areas that were near wetlands, overgrazed fields, burned areas, or roadsides were prone to having a variety of weeds such as Brome (Bromus) grasses, thistle (Cirsium), knapweed (Centaurea), and Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica). We would record each weed patch location on a GPS and take detailed notes about each site. For example, “The Sulfur Canyon drainage area in the southeastern quadrant has BRTE, SIAL2, and CIAR4. Dense colonies were dispersed along riparian corridors. Most of the soil was compacted due to cows. Etc.etc…” The data would be transferred to a State database within our resource area. This would help in the future when range land monitors evaluate the land and assign various control methods for the weeds.  This has always been a dream of mine in an internship to work with weeds and ArcGIS. Now I have the opportunity to see how NISIMS is used!

How I feel when working with NISIMS and finding a large population of a specific noxious weed. Time to record all the points and polygons!!! \(>o<)/

The Wenachee BLM does a really good job with weed treatment. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) was present in many allotments, but there was no significant presence of other weeds taking over acres of land. Most of the weed populations were in dense, isolated colonies that could be easily treated. There was a field of Dalmatian toadflax that paralleled BLM land. Hopefully, this area would be treated in the future to prevent the spread of this colorful yet noxious weed. Woolly mullein (Verbascum thapsus) was a plant that loved to grow along roadsides. Whenever we encountered it on BLM land, we would take note of it through NISIMS. Thistles were another common weed found on disturbed areas near water. Right now, many of the thistle species were in their rosette form, so it was hard to tell some species apart. When they flower, I could easily identify the species and record them in the NISIMS database.

Golden Eagle Eaglets: Ready For Action!

Recently, many of the golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) had become very active in their territory. The eaglets were hatching and they were very hungry. Most of the eaglets look like a very fluffy bird-poodle! They love to explore the nest and walk like Godzilla from one side to the other. A favorite activity of the eaglets was to take afternoon rests in the shelter of their Mom or Dad’s feathers. This sheltering helps the eaglets stay cool from the intense afternoon sun. As they get older, the parents leave the nest for longer periods of time. Our BLM district has young eaglets ranging from two to six weeks old. Some of them would not make the journey due to predation from owls or they might accidentally fall out of the nest. The parents usually guard their nest and always keep a keen eye for any potential threats. They love to stare at us or bighorn sheep for a short period of time. One of the historical golden eagle nest sites we found was occupied by an osprey (Pandion haliaetus) couple!! The juvenile osprey was so giddy about its surroundings, it was hilarious. The juvenile osprey’s favorite thing to do was to sit on the side of the nest and watch the violet green swallows (Tachycineta thalassina) fly by. Since the swallows fly fast, the juvenile osprey was turning its head very fast, trying to view each small bird.

In a couple of weeks, the eaglets would mature and grow stronger feathers. They would start to look like adults. They begin practicing their flapping and calls to their parents. Hopefully, we get to see them do it in the future when we revisit the nesting sites. Most of the bald eagles in the area were preparing their chicks for the outside world. Eventually, many of the golden eagles will be doing the same thing.

You should never do an eagle survey like this when the adult golden eagles are around. It is safer to view them from a distance with a viewing scope.

This is a lot safer way to view golden eagles. Some sites it is really hard to view the nest because of the sun angle and heat. I had to improvise my posture in order to see a cliff nest. Do this for three to four hours a day and you will become a legend for being patient….man do I look awkward. Haha!

GeoBOB…Frustrations and Celebrations Unite!

Another GPS program we were working on beyond NISIMS was the dreadful GeoBOB. (One person in the crowd boos) Now, now, this program had brought a lot of frustration, but it was usually followed by celebration. There would always be some glitch or kink in the system, which complicated different checkouts and check ins of field collected data. When we actually got the program to function properly, we were rewarded with accurate GPS data that was recorded out in the field. The data would be processed and turned to Spokane for further data entry. A few months ago, we had training in Vale, Oregon on GeoBOB. All of the BLM Legends and CLM interns had to figure out how to work with this complex program. Two days of training allowed us to understand how to work with this software. Eventually with practice, this GPS software program helped us many times when recording golden eagle activity. In the future, we plan on using GeoBOB to record Washington Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus washingtoni) activity.

Time for Some CLM Q&A!!!!!

Lori from Island Lake, IL asked: What is your favorite bird that you have seen in the field?

Hey Lori!! ^_^ My favorite bird to view in the field is the California Quail (Callipepla californica)! They are extraordinarily cute in the way they move and their voices are pretty cool. I like how they travel in big groups along the side of the road or near our work in Wenatchee. When the quail chicks hatch they look like brown fuzzballs with legs. They are very funny to watch on a windy day.

This is a male California Quail relaxing on a post.

Emily from Stevens Point, WI asked, “What was the most fun thing you did on your internship so far?”

One of my favorite activities was to help out with the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) surveys. I learned a lot about these rabbits and the ecosystem they live in. They were very docile and liked to stare at us as we walked through their walled-in village. I also loved to survey golden eagle nests. Viewing the adults feed, build a nest, or soar around their territory was always considered a treat! Oh, I also love taking pictures of wildlife and forbs.

Largehead Clover (Trifolium macrocephalum) was one of my favorite flowers to take pictures of!

Wow!! The month of May was very busy and on top of that I had a broken computer. Now everything is back on track and I am ready. There will be a large eastern migration soon of CLM interns going to the CLM training in Chicago, IL! I hope everyone has a great time learning, making new friends, developing new connections and having awesome lunches.  Have fun!! ^_^

Moment of Zen….