It has been a while since I’ve written anything on the CLM Blog, but for what it’s worth I’ve been extremely busy and only wrote in my journal. My last entry was for the month of May so in my next entries (including this one) I will catch you up on all the excitement I’ve experienced.
Where to begin? Maybe first I’ll fill you in on what my work consisted of in June…
My last entry concluded with me talking about the post-fire Cypripedium montanum monitoring which continued well into the month of June. In the course of about two months the team which I am a part of (consisting of myself, my crew leader Pat and our supervisor, mentor and guiding force, Margaret) had visited close to 80 known C. montanum sites! All of these sites were in north facing, STEEP drainages with decomposed granitic soils and unfortunately most (about 50%-60%) where burned so severely that no populations were found (C. montanum likes to grow in soils which have a duff layer). Though depressing due to the loss of such an alluring species, the knowledge gained on the effects a high and low intensity fire can have on a species and area is priceless.
As the C. montanum monitoring concluded Pat and I were moved onto a surveying team (the team still consisted of the same individuals) to inspect forest roads ( which later in the season and next year would be part of timber sales and reforestation units) for Clarkia australis and Clarkia biloba spp. australis. Though not nearly as captivating as C. montanum monitoring (on the account of how well the Clarkia population rebounded after the fire, and the habitat its typically found in) the two rare Clarkia species we were surveying for and their close relatives (that aren’t rare): C. biloba spp. biloba, and C. rhomboidea had all grown on me (HA-HA, that’s a botany pun).
Towards the end of June (due to Pat taking some time off to prepare for his wedding, which I will get to soon, I promise) I got the unique opportunity to work with the timber department. My work consisted of going into the field with a timber crew and marking unit boundaries for timber sales and wildlife trees (the wildlife trees were marked to leave with orange paint, a very messy job). Though my education background is in forestry and forest biology, we do things a little different on the East Coast. Either way it was a great opportunity to learn a different methodology when it comes to marking.
Outside of work related endeavors I spent every Friday, Saturday and Sunday of June hiking, camping and exploring the immense California landscape. Most of it has been along HW 108 going towards Sonora Pass and on the Eastern side of the Sierra’s near Mammoth Lakes, but the month of June ended for me with going to Big Trees State Park where Pat’s wedding and the Sequoiadendron giganteum (well two big groves) grow. Though the wedding in itself was amazing, I still get goosebumps over the shear magnitude of those plants. I’ve never felt smaller…What a humbling experience.
Never forget how fortunate we are and, may fortune and knowledge smile upon you all,
Mi-Wuk Ranger Station
Forest Service
Jake
my lovely dates to Pat’s wedding (my roommates)
Pat and his wife
Clarkia australis spp. biloba
the Eastern Sierra’s
Clarkia australis spp. biloba