Loving Montana

Hey all! My name is Becky and this is my very first post for CLM. I am intern for the Chicago Botanic Garden working at the Bureau of Land Management State Office in Billings, MT. So far this has been an incredible opportunity for me. I have been doing some exciting work with this office. One of the programs I am lucky enough to work on is the Native Plant Materials Program. What that involves is an agreement with the Special K Ranch, in Columbus MT, in which we have an existing grow out program for sagebrush and other native forbs and grasses within their greenhouses. This year we will be adding seed production acreage to those existing grow out programs. The main focus of the program is to develop sage-grouse forbs for restoration of habitat. This is a unique program in that the Special K Ranch is home to about 32 special needs adults who work and run the ranch. These are amazing individuals that I have grown very close to.

Here are some bitter-brush babies that made it through the winter and are getting ready to be shipped out to there new home!

: Here we are removing the sagebrush that didn’t survive the winter.

Also I have been out surveying different SOS collection sites to get an idea of what is currently blooming and seeding out already. There is a lot to learn, but I am excited and ready. I haven’t been working very long, but I am enjoying every minute of this internship and my mentor is amazing. Here are some pictures that I have taken while out in the field.