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