My transition from British Columbia to Washington over the past few weeks has been positive and exciting – filled with hikes in the sagebrush hills and some serious botanizing!

My main projects so far have involved rare plant detecting. We (I and a fellow intern, Rosemary) just got back from a few days of camping and rare plant monitoring down in the foothills of the Blue Mountains (southeastern corner of the state).  The days leading up to this field week consisted of looking over field reports and sightings from other botanists, some with Washington Rare Plant Care and the BLM, in order to ensure we were targeting the right places. Many of the sites and plant communities we read about had not been visited since the 1990s! We were on the hunt for a small list of threatened plant species, including Lomatian rollinsii and Ribes ceruem var. colubrium. And…hurray! We found a larger population than expected. Here’s a shot of a wee Lomatium:

Apart from plant work, I’ve had some great interactions with local people.  Some of the more interesting ones have been those with ranchers. I am finding myself progressively more interested in the importance of people in conservation and land management issues. My favorite part of this internship so far has been working with a wide variety of professionals and interest groups in land management. Although focusing on botany, I really enjoy seeing how all these different fields and skills come together in a complimentary way, with the end goal of responsible management and stewardship. I’m really seeing public understanding and acceptance as a large gateway to healthier ecosystems.

Looking forward to many more great weeks ahead.  Happy trails to all of you!