CLM Internship Blog post

September 24, 2013

It’s raining in the high desert this week. Snow is forecast at elevations from 7000 feet and above. The desert is a little confused. That burst of rain this last month, signaling the end of fire season, also the signals the cold to come. Yet, I am finding grasses sending up that withheld seed head in a last ditch effort to propagate. And Lupinus caudatus rebloomed. Yesterday, I even found two blooming Castilleja.

I am excited about the weather changes since Artemisia needs the cold nights to prompt the final part of its process. I have been checking on my populations almost weekly to start my collections for those species. With about 300 hours left, I still have considerable fall collections to make. Artemisia here I come!

Luckily, the Bend Seed Extractory is within a 30 minute drive from the office and as I look at the overflowing bags in my storage cubby, I may get to complete that final transport this week and create some space. Along with all those seeds are associated insects and crawling things that now share my cubicle! Unlike some of the other interns, it’s been a quiet and uneventful summer of collections. We have 52 collections and counting.

My most memorable moment of this month was the 105 degree (F) day along the John Day River slopes collecting Pseudoroegeneria spicata on a 45% slope above the river.

While the views were spectacular, the seeds seemed a bit thin and I was covering most of the 5 acre collection site… up and down a number of times. To add to the heat, I left my water bottle at the truck at the bottom of the slope. Finally, as I completed my last traverse at the bottom of the slope, I slid down the final scree slope at the road edge. It was deep red ochre and my slide left a clear exclamation point. I rested at the road when a couple drove up in a rented Toyota Prius and asked directions. I asked about their accents and found they were from Great Britain. Of course after the directions and handy maps in my pack, they asked about what I was doing and I got to explain about the SOS and CLM programs and Kew Gardens. Lo and behold they had been there and they shared with me a considerable amount of what they know of the gardens and the surrounding area where they live. It was fun to make the bigger international connection. So many days I simply get absorbed in my small task of collecting the seeds before my eyes – sometimes even missing the antler shed at my foot or the snake curled under the rock, and barely catch the scuttle of the fence lizard in the corner of my peripheral vision. Having the chance to talk to someone about my part in the bigger picture made me feel connected.
Reflections for next year
Find out which pastures are being rested and which are active before going in the field so you don’t get 3 hours out in some rugged country to find the cows ate absolutely everything and what they didn’t eat they trampled!

Robin Snyder
CLM Intern Prineville District BLM, Prineville Oregon