Non-native Invasive White sweetclover (Photo courtesy of J. McMillan, BLM)

Summer got a slow start this year. It was snowing and below freezing until 2 weeks ago…and last week it was 80 F and our leaves popped out overnight. So, needless to say, the invasive weeds that are the focus of my fieldwork have yet to grow. In the office, I have been busy filling the various training requirements of the federal government: first aid, cpr, aviation safety, ATV safety, Arc Map/Pad, Bear safety, defensive driving….to name a few!

My past experience with working for the federal government was with the National Park Service. The BLM has a much different feel. I like that it is a multiple use agency because resource managers are not as tightly constrained by parks and wilderness protections; such as with my project, which is managing invasive weeds along the Dalton Highway.

The Dalton Hwy is a rough, industrial road that begins 84 miles north of Fairbanks and ends 414 miles later in Deadhorse, the industrial camp at Prudhoe Bay. It provides a rare opportunity to traverse a remote, unpopulated part of Alaska. It has been estimated that invasive weeds such as bird vetch and white sweetclover have been advancing northward into previously uninfested habitats, most abundantly along the roadside. These plants are also finding their way into other areas by way of burned (disturbed) areas adjacent to the roadside and by river transport. Additional vectors include maintenance activities, commercial transport and tourist/resident populations. This summer I will be conducting inventories of all white sweetclover and monitoring known infestations of the other HIGH PRIORITY invasive weeds (priority is based on their invasiveness).

I am looking forward to getting out in the field and bringing back stories from the arctic far north of Alaska. Until then, I wish you all the best of experiences in your internships.