Salutations!

Since my last post, Carla and I have been going out on our own to finish up the last of the trend monitoring at our allotments. Idaho has been getting extremely hot, upwards of 100 degrees, so we’ve had to be extra careful not to get dehydrated or overheated. It’s been pretty challenging navigating often overgrown and un-maintained dirt roads with our GPS unit, which doesn’t have all the roads marked or always clearly identify canals…and some of the old site descriptions (it’s been more than 10 years since some of these sites have been monitored or updated) are just terrible!

For example, we’ll get to a stream after 2 hours of driving on heinously rocky and steep dirt roads only to realize the next area to cross isn’t for another 5 slow miles, then get to the site and realize the directions written for the reference post are incorrect, or better yet, forget the directions in the car after hiking a couple miles out to the site. We’ve been aiming for 5 8’s a week and have unintentionally had 10-12 hour days due to navigation, bad roads, directions, etc. Adventure!!! There’s nothing like having a 12-hour day, almost getting locked out of the parking lot at work, and then having popsicles for dinner when you get home.

But that’s the very worst of it and it doesn’t happen often at all. We’ve been extremely lucky and it’s always a rewarding learning experience.  We’ve finished our trend plots, haven’t had any flat tires (a miracle), and haven’t gotten lost (just misdirected…). I’ve been compiling a species/code list and handbook with pictures and descriptions and we have over 90 and counting that we’ve identified in the field.

Even though the number of plants we need to keep track of is overwhelming, it’s completely worth it for the scope of different ecosystems and diversity we’ve seen in our allotments from desert to mountain. In addition, we did our first seed collection for SOS of bottlebrush squirrel tail (Elymus elymoides) which was a nice change of pace. Our next project is Habitat Assessment Framework monitoring which is kind of like trend monitoring except focused more on habitat and forage for sage grouse (i.e. canopy cover, a focus on forbs, etc.).

To balance our long, dusty, hot days in the field I’ve been going out during the weekends and doing some exploring in Idaho. I was fortunate enough to have two friends from back home in Florida visit me within two weeks of each other. I met Adam, an avid traveler, about 3 years ago through the “Outdoor Adventure Recreation” (OAR) club in college. He visited after finishing a short-term job grading AP government papers in SLC. I took him to Perrine Bridge, Dierkes Lake, and we went kayaking down Snake River. It was really great to see him and take him on a couple adventures, since he’s led so many trips that I’ve been on.

The following week my best friend Shabnam visited. She’s working at Bryce Canyon National Park through the Student Conservation Association and spontaneously found a ride through her boss for July 4th weekend! It was a huge surprise. I took her to the Perrine bridge (the only man-made structure in the world open all year round for jumpers without a permit) to watch some BASE jumpers and Dierkes Lake as well, but this time  Carla and our co-worker Logan came. We did some cliff diving at Dierkes and found Hidden Lake after some exploring. There were like thirty 8 year-olds jumping off some of the sketchiest cliffs I’ve ever seen. The kind you need a long running start to clear the rocks below you. It took me 30 minutes of knee-shaking anxiety and a motivational speech from Carla at one of the lowest cliffs at Dierkes to get me to jump.

We also went camping the next day with some other friends at a Thousand Springs where we had a campsite right along the Snake River. I brought a festive alligator noodle (go gators), my friend Guillaume brought an inflatable raft from Fred Meyers, and Shabnam brought her new double camping hammock. We saw some fireworks, floated on the river with our inflatables, hammocked, and the next morning Shabnam and I helped take pictures for a 4-generation family reunion that was camping next to us.

The following weekend I went camping again at Bear Lake. It’s about 4 hours away and spans the border of Idaho and Utah. The weather in Twin the Friday we left was pretty heinous with lightning, thunder, and hail. Actually the surrounding parks in general had terrible weather, but for some reason Bear Lake was left untouched that weekend. We got to our site pretty late but managed to cook some trout (“trweet” if you’re French) and did some stargazing at the lake. The next day we rented kayaks and jet skis and pretty much spent the whole day there. It was awesome! Definitely my favorite trip so far since I’ve been in Idaho. I plan on going back some time in August for “Raspberry Days”.

We also found a poster for the summer rodeo in Garden City which was about 20 minutes away from our campsite. I watched for the first time mutton busting (5-year-olds riding angry sheep), barrel racing, bull riding, bronco riding, etc. For an arguably inhumane and somewhat sexist tradition, it was pretty entertaining! And now I can finally say “this isn’t my first rodeo”. And I got some pretty good pictures of some cowboys totally eating it.

 

This past weekend, I visited Boise for the first time and explored downtown as well as the World Center for Birds of Prey. We saw different kinds of eagles, vultures, and hawks and I purchased possibly the coolest bird-themed mug ever.

Last Sunday Carla, Chelsea (Jarbidge CBG intern), and I took a day trip to the Sawtooth Mountains. We were initially planning a camping trip but the weather turned sour at the last minute for Saturday. We checked out Galena Summit and hiked for a couple hours to Titus Lake. It was a steep climb but the views and blossoming wildflowers were completely worth it.

All in all, it’s been a wonderful month.

Until next time,

Diana.

BLM Shoshone, ID Field Office.