Hello!

For my internship I am working with the Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank & Plant Conservation Program (RSBSB) in Portland, Oregon. This is my first year as an intern, but it’s the second year the RSBSB has partnered with CLM and Seeds of Success. Last year the CLM intern for RSBSB, Isaac Sandlin, made over 60 collections – an amazing/impressive (gulp) feat for a single collector! I had the opportunity to visit Isaac on one of his collection trips last year and decided I wanted to participate in SOS and the CLM internship program. Like Isaac, I will largely be on my own in the field. That’s not to say I am alone for my internship; I have been in contact with botanists in the Medford, Lakeview, and Burns BLM offices, Isaac Sandlin, several Native Plant Society of Oregon members from the area, and of course, my mentor at the seed bank, Ed. All have been very helpful and supportive.

Although based in Portland, I will be collecting seeds on the sagebrush steppe of Southeastern Oregon – a very long commute! For this reason, I anticipate two ten-day trips to the field each month. I realize this is somewhat different than the experience other interns have who are living much closer, if not at their main field site. My home while in the field is the campground and my tent. While I had assumed this would be a lonesome experience, my first trip has proven the opposite. I have found my fellow campers to be friendly and inquisitive, often inviting me to join them for coffee or dinner at their campsite. I even met the author of the Flora of Steens Mountain at the campground! He graciously verified some of my specimens and gave me pointers on where to look for other species on my list.

Rocky field of Lomatium cous and L. bicolor var. leptocarpum

Hillside with Balsamorhiza sagittata

The focus for my SOS collections is on plants important to the greater sage-grouse for food and cover. Sage-grouse habitat is an SOS priority and is under consideration by the USFWS for possible listing under the Endangered Species Act. In Harney County, local ranchers and USFWS have been working together to protect sagebrush habitat on private rangeland for the threatened bird and its ecosystem (http://www.fws.gov/greatersagegrouse/). I find this type of cooperation between government agency and private land owner inspiring. Within Harney County is the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area where I have spent most of my days in the field. It too has brought together private land owners and government agencies to both conserve and manage the area. But, I must admit the rainbow checkerboard map of public, private, state, and tribal property boundaries can be difficult to navigate at times…

Greater sage-grouse photo: http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wo/Communications_Directorate/public_affairs/sage-grouse_planning/images.Par.14496.Image.600.424.1.gif

Since completing my first trip to the field last week, I am eager to return! I spent a great deal of my time exploring the maze of dirt roads in my monster truck, getting to know the lay of the land while scouting locations for targeted species populations. It also took a while to become familiar with the flora as this was my first trip and my first time working in southeast Oregon. Over the ten days I spent in the field I experienced a broad range of the area’s weather. High winds and below freezing nights welcomed me to my campsite at the base of Steens Mountain the first couple nights. Luckily, I was able to get quite a bit of scouting in before rain, snow, lightning, and thunder made its way to Southeastern Oregon. So far I have collected voucher specimens for 21 targeted species.

Castilleja angustifolia

Astragalus filipes with a weighty pollinator

Orobanche uniflora

However much needed in this drought stricken area, rain and snow made exploration via many of the soft dirt roads difficult, if not impassable, even in my 4-wheel drive truck. Wet, slippery roads or not, I can’t wait to get back out there next week to check on my populations and make new plant friends (the social life of a solitary botanist)!

Road looking east after the first full day of rain

Till next time,

Lindsey

Portland/Harney County, OR