October 29, 2013

Las Cruces, NM

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that BLM New Mexico only has two botanists stationed throughout the state—one in Farmington and one here in Las Cruces.  This has implications for plant conservation.  Our mentor and local botanist, for instance, is responsible for managing approximately 11 million acres of public land.  However, in addition to managing an enormous area of land, botanists in the state have the added hardship of being responsible for two full-time jobs: seed collections for Seeds of Success and threatened and endangered (T&E) species monitoring. Because seed collections are more time sensitive in the short term, work on T&E species usually occurs later in the season, after SOS projects are nearly complete.

Until now, 95% of our efforts have been focused on seed collections.  However, Kate and I are now beginning to plan several T&E related projects for the upcoming weeks.  A few weeks ago, we helped Evelyn Williams, a researcher from the Chicago Botanic Garden, set up a preliminary pollination study for the rare plant Lepidospartum burgessii (LEBU), and in a few days, we will return to the LEBU site to check up on the progress of her experiment.  We are also going to be involved in projects related to several other T&E species, including the Sand Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia arenaria) and the night-blooming cereus (Cereus greggii).  While Kate and I really enjoyed our Seeds of Success work, we are excited to mix it up and experience a new aspect of plant conservation in the upcoming weeks.

Elisabeth Ward