Exploring Cedar Mountain in early spring.
A faint orange glow turns the clouds on the eastern horizon to a fire in the sky. The Warner mountains yawn with warmth as the sun rises over the great basin, Alturas remains dark. It is my first day working for the BLM here in Modoc County, the job still remains as mysterious as the country surrounding me. Yesterday I reached the summit of Cedar Mountain (8,140 ft) in the Warner Mountains. Here lava flows were violently tilted upward in a classic fault garben that was formed with the rifting of the great basin. Erosion has dramatized the mountains by exposing large naked cliffs, towering above clay and fine volcanic soil. Staring to the south feels like gazing into a world unique from the one I am standing in, the north facing slopes of Payne Peak (7,618 ft) are decorated with White Firs towering out of snow, while the slopes I stand on are spotted with Artemisa tridenta and Western juniper and are almost completely lacking snow. To the east alkali lakes and arid desert are exposed in the great basin. To the west Mount Shasta (14,179 ft) gracefully towers above the lava plains, cinder cones, and canyons of the Modoc Plateau. Hot springs are everywhere along these fault blocks, quietly seeping into pools of hot water, breeding unique life forms and reminding us all of the energy Earth contains. This vantage spot describes what I know of where I will be spending the next five months. Several unknowns remain, but no secrets can hide on the naked Modoc Plateau.
After meeting my supervisor, I am given introductions to the rest of the staff, and we drive to the Suprise Valley Field office to meet more individuals I will be working with this summer. I am starting to get a better idea of the projects I will be working on throughout the summer, one major theme continually arises, Sage Grouse. We also happen to be one of the most western locations containing Sage Grouse habitat, and a nation wide effort to better understand these birds and how we can protect them has created a large money pool, and tons of collaboration. From habitat modeling to track analysis, and lek counts to bird trapping the number of projects related to these birds are endless. Encroaching juniper threatens portions of critical habitat, creating opportunities for the forester to be involved in restoration projects. My office is participating in a inter-agency Sage Steppe Ecosystem Restoration Project (http://ltdl.wr.usgs.gov/SSERS/default.aspx), and many of my tasks will relate to this effort.
(Two weeks later)
As someone with a background in land conservation, forestry, plant ecology, invasive plant management and wildlife tracking. I have a diverse skill set that allows me to assist on a variety of projects. My primary position is to provide GIS services ranging from data management to more complicated analysis to the staff here in Alturas and Surprise Valley. However, in my first week of work I assisted in tree marking for timber improvement, surveyed noxious weeds, installed recreation signs and assessed the current status of designated OHV areas. In my second week of work I visited a few leks and got busy organizing data. Clearly a diverse number of projects are begging for help and I am very excited to take advantage of the opportunity to diversify my skill sets.
This week I got to know Jeffery, the pine that is, and his relationship with Incense-cedar in lower elevation mixed conifer forests of the Eastern Cascades. The diversity of coniferous trees only increases as you travel north and west from Alturas, and this fact seems to have me very excited, I love trees.
Knowing that the redwoods are just on the other side of the mighty Cascades my adventurous nature beckons to escape the rain shadow and enter the moist lands of the coastal range. Until next time, I am out exploring.
Prost,
Mike
GIS Intern- BLM Alturas Field Office