I just finished my ninth month working at the Bureau of Land Management in Tucson, Arizona. I moved to Tucson last September to work with the ecosystem planner at Las Cienegas National Conservation Area; located a few miles south of Sonoita, Arizona. I was not prepared for the unrelenting sun and harsh desert landscape that was about to become my home. Las Cienegas is composed of both upland grasslands and mesquite bosques or riparian areas. The native grasses and cacti of the upland grassland are extremely resilient plants as they must be adapted to withstand unpredictable precipitation patterns and blazing temperatures as well as an occasional brush fire. A perennial creek runs through the conservation area making it an ideal habitat for many species of birds, fish and frogs. This rare perennial water source makes Las Cienegas a truly special place in an unforgiving land where water is scarce. People from different organizations and agencies have been working for over twenty years to restore and make this picturesque landscape as resilient as possible in the face of a changing climate.
I jumped head first into this community of conservation and landscape restoration. My mentor and I decided that as one of my internship projects we should start a partnership with the local high school to help these students learn about conservation and land restoration in a changing climate. I started working with these students back in January when we went out Las Cienegas to collect native Sacaton grass seeds. Sacaton is a unique grass that grows in bottoms between the upland grasslands and the mesquite bosques or riparian lowlands. Sacaton bottoms characterize the transition from uplands to the riparian areas. These hearty grasses that are normally taller than me are extremely important in holding the landscape together. During the monsoon season which is characterized by torrential downpours, Sacaton roots that can reach up to five or six feet below the ground play a critical role in preventing all the soil from eroding away and leaving huge scars in the earth. At Las Cienegas; there are disturbing bare areas devoid of Sacaton plants cropping up in the Sacaton bottoms. We decided it would be excellent to start seed saving and growing our own plants to restore these bare areas.
The students liked the idea of created their own Sacaton restoration areas that they could watch for years to come. After we had collected seeds from the Sacaton plants, we planted them in one gallon containers in their classroom. The students watered them and watched them grow for two and half months. Some of the plants that were planted in smaller containers did not fare so well over spring break. Finally in April the students took all of their new Sacaton plants that they had grown from seed and planted them in one bare Sacaton bottom area near the side of the road. I helped the students water the plants during the planting event and strategically used a product called DriWater to help the seedlings survive. I am excited to return to Tucson in the fall to see how the Sacaton plants have fared.