Boiseed, Idahome

Greetings again from Idaho! It has now been just over 2 months since my internship partner, Emile, and I have been transplanted to Boise. We have worked around the Four Rivers Field Office long enough to have seen some pretty seedy areas. Sometimes working with the BLM feels a little like working for the IRS because we are trying to minimize plant taxonomy evasion. But all puns aside, if there is any doubt of the quality of the CLM internship program, I can personally voucher for the skills and experience gained through work related to the Seeds of Success program.

Since my last post, we have made multiple collections of primarily Elymus elymoides (Squirreltail bunchgrass) and Eriogonum heracleoides (Wyeth Buckwheat). We also attempted to make a few collections of both Festuca idahoensis (Idaho Fescue bunchgrass) and Pseudoroegneria spicata (Bluebunch Wheatgrass), but unfortunately not enough of the seed pods were fertile to make the collections worthwhile.

Feeling like hunters with our fresh kills lined up in the bed of our truck

In addition to our work related to the Seed of Success program, we have also had the opportunity to help with other projects around our field office and others in the area. One such project was monitoring “Species of Special Concern” in the Bruneau Field Office. The species we were looking for was Astragalus yoder-williamsii, a rare milkvetch found primarily in Idaho and Nevada. We located and analyzed 2 populations that hadn’t been monitored since 1992. The plant itself is quite small (less than 8 inches wide/long and less than 4 inches tall) but seems quite tough; it was growing most densely in and along the dirt roads in the area.

Astragalus yoder-williamsii

Astragalus yoder-williamsii peaking out from beneath a savory pie

Idaho has also proven to have spectacular hiking, camping, and backpacking opportunities. My first visit to the Sawtooth Wilderness a few weekends ago was amazing. From camping along the Salmon River, to hiking to and swimming in freezing-cold, snowmelt-filled Sawtooth Lake, and relaxing on the bank of Redfish Lake, the Sawtooth wilderness weekend was a great one. A subsequent hike in the Boise National Forest to Blue Lake and three rocky peaks surrounding it was also beautiful and memorable.