June 28, 2013

Las Cruces, NM

Two weeks ago I left my humid hometown to come work for the Bureau of Land Management in Las Cruces, NM.  Although I grew up outside of Chicago, I spent the last eight years of my life in the northeast, where I attended school in Connecticut and Rhode Island.  As their names imply, the northeast and southwest are polar opposites.  In the northeast, states are small and densely populated.  Forests prevail in the humid climate, and the long, sinuous coastline is never more than a few hours away.  But I left behind the land of poison ivy, Lyme disease, and fickle weather and entered the realm of tarantulas, rattlesnakes, and incessant heat.

My friends in Rhode Island were astonished when I mentioned that my post-graduation plan included moving to New Mexico.  New Yorkers apparently associate New Mexico with only two things: (1)  the UFO spottings in Roswell, and (2) illicit drug activity as presented in Breaking Bad, a TV show set in Albuquerque. Luckily, I have not encountered either of these two stereotypes.  Instead, the southwestern stereotypes that I have experienced have been quite pleasant.  What’s not to love about our adorable adobe apartment nestled in the Organ Mountains, beautiful sunsets, and gooey, cheese-filled Mexican food?

Our adobe apartment at Dripping Springs Natural Area

View of the Organ Mountain on the Road Home from the Office

Sunset view from Drippings Springs Natural Area

Life in the office has been exciting as well.  This week, Evelyn Williams, a conservation genetics researcher from the Chicago Botanic Garden, visited us to collect clippings from Lepidospartum burgessii–a rare plant that no longer produces seeds.  Lepidospartum burgessii is an obligate gypsophile, meaning its range is limited by the narrow extent of gypsum-based soils.  One theory as to why the plant has failed to produce seeds is that it has lost genetic diversity through inbreeding, which has increased the plant’s homozygosity.  Evelyn and her fellow researchers will  transplant the Lepidospartum clippings in a common garden and crossbreed the individuals to determine whether increased gene flow prompts seed set in the species.

Lepidospartum burgessii

The gypsum sand dunes near the Guadalupe Mountains- the ideal habitat for Lepidospartum burgessii

My fellow intern, Kate, and our mentor, Mike, recording the location of a Lepidospartum burgessii individual

 I will end this blog post with some local terminology that I have picked up over the last couple weeks:

TAT: Type-A Texan

PNM: Pokey New Mexican

Dust Devil: A small whirlwind of dust common in arid regions, such as the Chihuahuan desert

“Christmas” : A preparation of Mexican food that has both green and red chile sauces

Sopapilla: A delicious, puffy pastry dessert drizzled in honey

-Elisabeth Ward